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.

Believing in Brand Philippines

Belief in something is very important, especially if one is selling a country brand. A country, after all, is an amalgam of the tangible and the intangible. It is a living thing with a soul that is a reflection of the many elements that make it up-including those little quirks that make it distinct and distinguish it from the rest.

Tags: nation branding, philippines, economic growth, national identity, pacific islands

India pile-on misses soft-power gains

Having myself fired a few arrows at Dr Singh and the ruling Congress Party last month, I thought I would turn to an area where India is enjoying success: the projection of its soft power abroad. Here, arguably, it is outstripping China, its Asian Century rival.

Tags: china, soft power, india, asia, foreign affairs, politics, manmohan singh

Tulsi Heals Everything

India must remain the “land of the better story”. As a society with a free press and a thriving mass media, with a people whose creative energies are daily encouraged to express themselves in a variety of appealing ways, India has an extraordinary ability to tell stories that are more persuasive and attractive than those of its rivals.

Tags: soft power, india, afghanistan, south asia, hard power, democracy

US social media account in China disappears

U.S. diplomats have boosted their public diplomacy through social media. The U.S. government has an active presence on Chinese social media sites; many U.S. officials in China have individual Weibo pages, and the embassy in Beijing and consulate departments update their own sites with remarks by American officials, press releases and videos.

Tags: china, united states, government pd, public diplomacy, social media, microblogging

How Much Do You Think about Water While On Vacation?

Tourists generally don’t devote much thought to water usage. And why should they? After all, crystal swimming pools, delightfully verdant tropical grounds, and long, luxurious showers are essential elements of any successful vacation, as any harried wage-slave will be happy to tell you. But according to British charity Tourism Concern, blissed-out tourists in third world countries should be contemplating how their leisure is affecting others lives.

Tags: public diplomacy, india, water diplomacy, indonesia, tanzania

Top US official set to visit Taiwan on Tuesday: AIT

Coordinator for the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) Dawn McCall is scheduled to visit Taiwan on Tuesday to experience first-hand US public diplomacy outreach, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced yesterday.

Tags: government pd, public diplomacy, taiwan, us department of state

Friend/Foe: The Contradictions in How Americans and Chinese See Each Other

Perception matters in international diplomacy, and even more so for the U.S.-China relationship. There are vast differences in political systems and institutions, social norms, historical and cultural legacies, and the ever-present information asymmetry. Mutual perceptions can get easily skewed, with real repercussions for policy. Though the U.S.-China relationship has proven surprisingly resilient, it is also colored by an unspoken unease, especially among elites in both countries.

Tags: china, united states, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, public diplomacy

Rita’s music succeeds where diplomacy can’t - getting Israel and Iran to agree

When Israeli pop superstar Rita Jahanforuz told her friends she wanted to record an album in Farsi, they thought she must have gone mad. The 50-year-old Iranian-born, Jewish singer, who is usually known just by her first name, recalled: "'They all said, 'You want to record an album in the language of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Who will listen to it?' I didn't know why I had to do it, I just did. It's like someone lit a match. What's happening now is beyond what I ever imagined."

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, public diplomacy, iran, israel

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