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.
Visual propaganda: a conference on the influence of images
It has long been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The challenge is understanding which words to which people...Context matters. Each viewing will be shaped by a personal or group context influenced by experience, culture, language, narratives, and other inputs direct and indirect.
Taiwan’s cultural reservoir
As a struggle for a new narrative across the Taiwan Strait develops, it remains unclear what kind of collective narrative will emerge – if ever. Ostensibly, the KMT and the CCP are engaging in a mutual game of soft power politics that is moving beyond cultural exchanges.
‘Dogwood diplomacy:’ U.S. to send Japan 3,000 trees (audio)
One hundred years ago, Japan gifted some 3,000 cherry trees to the United States in a gesture of friendship. They now flower each spring around the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. On Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the U.S. will return the favor.
Got Balz? Baseball diplomacy through a bar Mitzvah
Hopefully Mica’s story, which became about baseball as a metaphor for increased relations with Cuba, can thus join the continuum of using baseball for cultural exchanges...Along the way, he experienced a cultural exchange, and learned that when it comes to Cuba and the United States, there is much more that is similar than different.
India designs its own ‘seductive’ image as global power
India’s image has transformed drastically in the last decade from an aid recipient nation to a global power, experts say. The shift in this image is not merely a result of economic growth figures alone — it has resulted from a carefully managed “image campaign” that the Indian government has invested in.
Are passport control queues the result of government cuts?
There is enough research in the nation branding world to demonstrate that a country's image and reputation depends on part to its openess to others...The government is blaming the weather for recent long waits at border contro. But with a recruitment freeze in place, what effect are the cuts having?l
Former Ambassador recognised for ‘exemplary’ diplomatic discourse
“Americans must not view Pakistan as a stereotype and just through the prism of their fight against terrorism. Pakistanis need to be told the American point of view without use of force and with respect for the country’s sovereignty。“
A radically different way of bringing U.S. aid to Pakistan
So while USAID is very good at quickly mobilizing assistance to disaster-afflicted communities, it carries a lot of political baggage -- so much so in places like Pakistan that the U.S might be better off in the long run by downsizing USAID's direct activities there and working through alternative programs.
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