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.

Is China Becoming the World's Most Likeable Superpower?

Public diplomacy is perception. Remarkably—and, unthinkably, as recently as one year ago—today China seems to be the world’s most likeable superpower. [...] Li, who landed in Berlin on Wednesday, hoped to use his three-day trip, with stops in Germany and Belgium, to “voice support for an open economy, free trade and investment [and] global regional peace and stability."  Trump, on the other hand, failed to support NATO, decried Germany as “very bad” for its trade policies, and even pushed aside Montenegro’s prime minister to the front of a group photo. 

Tags: china, soft power, nation branding, united states, government pd, Donald Trump, li keqiang

Diplomacy Be Given a Chance; Dialogue Only Way to Move Forward

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit Saturday said the dialogue between Pakistan and India was the only way to move forward for resolution of long-standing issues as there was always a room for diplomacy. In an interview with an Indian TV Channel WION (World is on news), the high commissioner said as serious issues were involved between the two countries, so how they could be resolved without talking to each other.

Tags: india, pakistan, media diplomacy, civil society, international broadcasting, anti-terrorism, ICJ, dialogue

Kuwait Wins Non-Permanent Seat at UNSC

The UN General Assembly elected Kuwait, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Peru and Poland to the UN Security Council on Friday for a two-year term beginning next year, ASharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Saturday.Kuwait, which will replace Egypt in the seat representing the Arab world, received 188 votes out of the 193-member General Assembly. During the membership campaign that it launched in 2016, Kuwait pledged to adopt balanced policies in dealing with the issues on the agenda of the Security Council.

Tags: kuwait, arab world, egypt, unsc, united nations, soft power, public campaign

'Advocacy Tourism' Combines Travel With a Mission

Latest innovation from tourism offers trips with a social mission to travelers who want more from a holiday than sea & shopping. This summer, vacationers can pair a visit to the colonial Colombian city of Cartagena with an program aimed at raising awareness about the modern slave trade. [...] "I have been asked whether the tour, given its theme, was 'depressing,' " Karen Weiss, who took a similar trip to Thailand, explained. "I assure you that it was not.

Tags: colombia, Cultural Diplomacy, historical diplomacy, tourism diplomacy, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, advocacy tourism, international advocacy

Young Diplomats of Ghana Bids UNAIDS Director Farewell

Delegates of the Young Diplomats of Ghana (YDG) hosted a farewell dinner last week at the Tomreik Hotel in Accra in honor of the UNAIDS Country Director, Mr. Girmay Haile, who ends his duty tour to Ghana at the end of June this year. The dinner offered the opportunity for the young diplomats to have a final interaction with Mr. Girmay, on his experiences working as a Diplomat in Ghana and to congratulate him for his selfless dedication to the vision of UNAIDS in Ghana and support for the cause of YDG as Patron.

Tags: ghana, united nations, unaids, young diplomats, foreign aid, people-to-people engagement, zimbabwe

Media Call for Bigger Disaster Risk Reduction Role

International broadcasting federations have vowed to step up their work to spread information about disaster risk reduction to their audiences, thereby giving a critical boost to efforts by governments.The pledge came at the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which wrapped up last week in Cancun, Mexico, and was made by representatives of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 

Tags: international broadcasting, media, civic society, disaster management, asia pacific, europe, mexico

Defending Academic Freedom in a Populist Age

Universities nowadays often must fight for their independence on two fronts, against autocratic governments and private interests from without, and against the threat from within posed by fiefdoms of jargon and self-righteous coercion. But success ultimately depends on convincing fellow citizens that what may look like a battle for the privileged few is a battle for the benefit of all.

Tags: academic freedom, populism, authoritarianism, higher education, universities, central european university, hungary

Covfefe Happened

Donald J. Trump’s first foreign trip as U.S. President is now history, but the repercussions are likely to be felt for years to come. [...] Trump disrespected the entire NATO alliance system, broke with the rest of the G-7 on the Paris climate change agreement and, in general, behaved boorishly. Given the chance to welcome NATO’s newest member, Montenegro, Trump pushed its prime minister aside to claim his own front row spot for the traditional “family photo” of NATO summit leaders.

Tags: government pd, global image, Nation Image, diplomatic relations, Donald Trump, nato, middle east, europe, u.s.

Pages

Stay in the Know

Public Diplomacy is a dynamic field, and CPD is committed to keeping you connected and informed about the critical developments that are shaping PD around the world. 

Depending on your specific interests, you can subscribe to one or more of CPD's newsletters >.

Visit CPD's Online Library

Explore CPD's vast online database featuring the latest books, articles, speeches and information on international organizations dedicated to public diplomacy.