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.
What China’s talking about today: ‘American French fry brother’
American French Fry Brother," the nickname of an American study-abroad student, is now trending on Sina Weibo after he fed a homeless woman on the streets of Nanjing a packet of fries and some water..."Kindness has no borders," Sina Weibo said of Lu's act of philanthropy and McDonalds diplomacy, "Let kind hearts melt away indifference.
Pittsburgh cafe offers cuisine from the U.S. conflict du jour
Rubin and Weleski are used to head-scratching reactions since they opened the Conflict Kitchen, a Pittsburgh cafe that serves cuisine only from countries in conflict with the United States, with a menu that rotates to reflect the war or diplomatic row of the moment.
China expels al-Jazeera reporter as media relations sour
Al-Jazeera said it “has had to close” its English-language bureau in Beijing since Chinese authorities refused to renew the visa and press credentials of correspondent Melissa Chan. The expulsion does not affect the network’s Arabic-language bureau.
Mrs. Clinton & Kolkata’s youth: Public diplomacy at its best
It was an exercise in grass-roots democracy in which sections of the public could question a political leader in public about issues of interest and concern to them. It was also an exercise in public diplomacy in which a political leader takes advantage of the opportunity provided by such interactions to explain his or her thinking and views on issues of public concern.
The Rise of India’s Soft Power
With U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton having visited India this week in an effort to secure its cooperation on a range of international issues, it is time to start thinking of India not as a beneficiary of the world's charity (though it still is) -- but as a major donor.
The Bisectoralists: Competing in a global era
Even our soft power is not as uncontested as we may like to think. The global marketplace of ideas, fertilized by the Internet, ensures that different countries and cultures illuminate their own paths, affirm their own traditions and provide competing visions of the world to come. Yet, no new grand "-ism" is taking shape and no one country is becoming the new paragon.
China’s biggest challenge - basic governance
China's mixed human rights record is not just bad for its citizens. It is a strategic weakness that complicates its foreign relations and diminishes its soft power. The state's harsh treatment of individuals and minorities regularly disrupts its bilateral relationships.
Public Diplomacy Achievement Awards 2012
Successful public diplomacy requires leadership, imagination, resourcefulness, and determination. The Public Diplomacy Alumni Association (PDAA, formerly USIA Alumni Association) recognizes outstanding achievement by individuals and teams at overseas posts and at State Department headquarters that display these qualities, among others.
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