A curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned, and state-sponsored sources. The stories featured don't necessarily represent CPD's views nor have they been verified by CPD.
Chinese Style, Served Over-Easy
History will be quick to remind us that China, India, and the Middle East had rich and refined cultures while Europeans were still struggling through the material and intellectual poverty of the Dark Ages and before the existence of the Americas was even known to them.
EU Needs Money to Counter ‘Russian Propaganda’
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament adopted a resolution Monday to allocate funds to counter what it described as “aggressive Russian propaganda.” The resolution, passed by 53 votes to 10, with 3 abstentions, called on EU member-states to “refrain from doing bilateral deals with Russia and step up their own collective efforts to withstand it, whilst retaining a return to cooperation with Russia as a long-term goal.”
Gaza-Bound Ship Departs Sweden, In Effort to End Blockade
A trawler left Sweden on its way to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip 5,000 nautical miles away. The Marianne of Gothenburg departed on Sunday evening and is the first ship in the Freedom Flotilla III to leave for Gaza, according to the website of the Ship to Gaza Sweden campaign.
Executions Signal a Return to Sukarno-Style Foreign Policy in Indonesia
On 29 April Indonesia executed seven foreigners and one Indonesian for drug offences. The refusal of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to offer clemency despite pleas from foreign leaders has been analysed in a number of ways.(...)But was his decision instead a deliberate act of public diplomacy, designed to send signals to those missing the Sukarno era?
Top Scholars From Nearly 30 Countries Finish the First Book on Rabindranath Tagore
In what will be the first book to look at all of Tagore's travels internationally - his politics of friendship and practise of liberal humanism, scholars will gather in Edinburgh on May 12 to reveal to the world how the Indian Nobel laureate was perceived globally.
Sport Just a Political Football for Regimes in Need of a Makeover
Yep, the Azeris have oil... huge amounts of the stuff, so much so that the country is the ugly guy made good who’s suddenly never lonely. And Azerbaijan likes it, to the extent it wants to re-brand itself as a cultural, social and economic hot-spot rather than some backwater parked next to the Caspian Sea. And sport is a perfect branding opportunity.
Soft Power Set to Define Modi’s China Visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be combining a well-calibrated soft power push with his visit to China, leveraging social media, Bollywood and yoga to reach out to ordinary Chinese citizens.
Cultural Exchange Important for Russia-India Partnership
Festival of Indian Culture in Russia represents cultural exchange and contributes to stable strategic relations between Russia and India, President of India Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday at the opening ceremony of the festival. Nine Russian cities will hold the Namaste Russia festival that will last from May until November 2015.
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