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.
Smiling through sports diplomacy
It's not size of your sports diplomacy that matters, it's what you do with it. This is why we can all learn a lesson from Sarandon, who at 64 has lost neither her looks nor her charm, when she informs the audience today that she is "a ping-pong propagandist" - while flashing a beautiful smile.
Soft power is mango power
The potency of mangoes — and their — mythical reputation in Pakistan and many other parts of South Asia, was brought home to me last week when, as it does most years, the Pakistani embassy in Brussels held a ‘mango extravaganza’ in a prestigious local hotel whose chef has finessed the art of turning mangoes into pieces of culinary magic.
The Lumbini project: China’s $3bn for Buddhism
Hu Yuandong of UNIDO...says the focus of the project is job creation, poverty alleviation and environmental protection. Xiao has made clear that the $3bn investment is not coming from the Chinese government, but rather from various funds "around the world" - even from the Middle East. But it would be difficult not to see this as a smart move by China and an extension of its soft power.
Siddiqui: Turkey is a vital member of the Western camp
Turkey is a bridge between East and West, the only Muslim member of NATO... It is also a free market success story and a geopolitical “soft power,” an agent of moderation, reconciliation, peace and stability in a volatile region stretching from the Middle East to Afghanistan/Pakistan and from the Mediterranean to the Balkans and the Caucasus.
Taiwan needs U.S. weapons to gain leverage with China: official
Yang also touted the benefits of the administration's flexible diplomacy, which he said avoided competition or direct confrontation with the mainland and relied instead on Taiwan's economic and democratic soft power to create opportunities for Taiwan in the international arena.
China vows better education cooperation with Kenya
The Chinese government has expressed its strong commitment to lift educational cooperation with Kenya and promised to increase the amount of scholarships given to Kenyan students to study in Chinese universities from the current 32 to 64 annually, a top Kenyan government official said on Friday.
BBG Promises a ‘Transformed’ Agency
The BBG, which supervises U.S. government broadcasting to overseas listeners like Radio Martí and Voice of America, wants to position its broadcasters for the future. As we’ve reported, it has been involved in a strategic review of U.S. international broadcasting with the hope of “transforming” it.
Fireworks kick off Stratford festivities
Stratford Summer Music Festival starts Monday at Lower Queen's Park with fireworks at dusk and 10th-anniversary music composed by former Stratford Shakespeare Festival music director Bertie Carriere..."It's a perfect example of cultural diplomacy," Miller commented...
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