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.
UMass Amherst Stops Admitting Iranians to Some Graduate Programs
The University of Massachusetts Amherst told students this week that it will no longer accept Iranian nationals into graduate programs in chemical, computer, and mechanical engineering or the natural sciences, to avoid violating US sanctions against Iran.
Libyan Official Says Extremists Seize Radio Station, Begin Broadcasting Religious Songs
Gunmen from an al-Qaida inspired militia have taken over radio and television stations in the central Libyan city of Sirte, a security official said. He said the seizure of the buildings happened on Thursday after militants from Ansar al-Sharia had warned the station to stop broadcasting music. The group, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, is accused of being involved in a deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. mission and annex in Benghazi. Its branch in the city of Derna has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
Turkey's Mosque-Building Diplomacy
A state-sponsored program to build mosques in countries from Kazakhstan to Cuba has emerged as a foreign policy instrument for Turkey, boosting the country’s claim to a place on the international stage as a leader of the Islamic world that looks after Muslims everywhere.
International Links Have Vital Role in Times of Global Tension
At the start of 2015, after a year of increased political and military tension growing in several parts of the world, including Europe, as well as the fundamentalist attacks in Paris, it is relevant to look at its implications for higher education.
Turkey and Latin America
Turkey's economic growth, global trade perspective and soft power capacity are its best assets for the expansion and deepening of Turkey's relations with Latin America. Already at home with new economic opportunities and cultural diversity, Turkey is exploring different possibilities to have stronger bilateral relations and regional cooperation.
Spring Festival Gala a Display of China’s Soft Power
It was a spectacle: Traditional and modern Khmer and Chinese music enraptured as hundreds of dancers took to the stage in elaborate costumes—and with literally flying colors as a pair of acrobats spun above the stage.
Japan’s Public Diplomacy is Expensive and Errant
This lavishly funded PR program more than triples the strategic communications budget over last year’s ¥20 billion, essentially an admission that Japan has been losing the international war of words — and thus global support for its positions — during Abe’s tenure. Given that Seoul and Beijing have been playing hardball in getting their sides of the story out, Tokyo is responding in kind.
US Orchestra Travel to Cuba in Major Cultural Exchange
The Minnesota Orchestra announced Thursday that it will play two concerts in Cuba in May in what's believed to be the first major cultural exchange between the two countries since their leaders announced a move toward warmer relations.
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