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.

How to communicate UK government policy and influence people overseas

At the beginning of 2012, we went to Buenos Airesto work with the communications teams across Latin America. We talked about lots of things, including the Falklands, but what really came out of it for me was a gem of an idea about using the GREAT campaign and our soft power to reach out to a new generation in Cuba.

Tags: soft power, nation branding, government pd, public diplomacy, cuba, britain, great britain campaign, britain is great

A United Nations of Music

As part of a new federally sponsored program called OneBeat, 32 musicians from 21 countries on 5 continents, almost equally divided between men and women, were brought together to write, produce and record original music and take it on the road for American audiences.

Tags: united states, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd

Ethiopia: Nile waters diplomacy and the Renaissance dam

Electricity is a key to Ethiopia’s future. However, historically, proposed exploitation of these resources has brought it in to diplomatic conflict with downstream states, namely Egypt. Now Ethiopia has more successfully levied its regional diplomatic power to ensure the Egyptian government is no longer able to block its attempts to produce the hydroelectric power and irrigation necessary to power its growing economy.

Tags: government pd, egypt, africa, water diplomacy, ethiopia

Power and decline: Why other countries ought to envy the United States

A recurring theme in this year's presidential election is (fear of) American decline, with both candidates seeking to convince voters that they will reverse recent trends and foster an American resurgence... Power is most usefully conceived as capability, and stronger states can generally do more things and affect others more than weaker states can. But having a lot of power doesn't translate directly into influence, which is the capacity to get others to do what you want.

Tags: united states, soft power, foreign policy, hard power, influence

Leader of Tunisia’s Ruling Party Praises Turkey as “Soft Power at Heart of Muslim World”

Leader of Tunisia's ruling Ennahda Party, Rachid Ghannouchi, has praised Turkey as "a soft power at the very heart of the Muslim world..." Ghannouchi said all revolutions of the Arab Spring can take Turkey as a guide in securing a harmonious balance between modernity and tradition.

Tags: soft power, public diplomacy, turkey, muslim

Why China Lacks Gangnam Style

In China, the Gangnam phenomenon carries a special pique. It has left people asking, Why couldn’t we come up with that?... For now, China’s Gangnam moment seems far off. “In China, culture and the arts develop under the watchful eye of the government, and anything too hip or interesting gets either shut down or bought up."

Tags: china, soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, korea

Taiwan Admitted to the Visa Waiver Program

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the addition of Taiwan to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). However, key U.S. allies and friends continue to be left waiting to join the VWP. These delays make little sense given the extensive benefits that VWP expansion offers the U.S. in terms of national security, the economy, and public diplomacy.

Tags: united states, soft power, public diplomacy, tourism, immigration, visas, exchanges

Thousands of Christian Israel supporters gather for Feast of Tabernacles

The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem hosted more than 3,000 tourists from more than 100 countries Tuesday night for the annual Feast of Tabernacles event. "Year after year you come from over a hundred countries to march through the streets of Jerusalem; and in doing so, you remind the people of Israel that we are not alone..."

Tags: middle east, public diplomacy, israel, diaspora

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