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.

In These Reactionary Times, There Are Few Second Chances

We have the terrible habit of reducing issues to non-issues or, on the contrary, turning non-issues into issues. With the Facebook ban in May, the constant criticism was this: It’s just a ban on Facebook, get over it. But actually, it wasn’t “just a ban.”

Tags: pakistan, social media, non-state actors, new technology, facebook, freedom of speech

Why Craigslist’s Craig Newmark Still Does Customer Service

Newmark’s latest project is CraigConnects.org, which aims to connect the world for the common good. "I've been doing an increasing amount of public service and philanthropy, and I realized that I had been doing far more than I thought, and that I needed to get my act together in a way that could serve far more people...

Tags: united states, media, non-state actors, new technology, non-state pd, corporate diplomacy, social networks, craigslist

Bureau of International Information Programs Coordinator Dawn L. McCall Travels to Los Angeles

During her visit to Los Angeles, Coordinator McCall will visit the University of Southern California’s Stevens Institute for Innovation, Center for Public Diplomacy, and Annenberg Innovation Lab to meet leading thinkers and directors who are creating web and mobile applications at the intersection of entertainment, gaming, technology, and academia.

Tags: united states, media, new technology, us department of state, universities, innovation, think tanks

No pride at Berlin gay pride festival

Tel Aviv Municipality's stand at Europe's largest gay pride parade, set to take place in Berlin in June, won't include any Israeli symbols or markers in an attempt to blur the connection between the city and the state – a problematic brand to market, especially these days.

Tags: israel, europe, non-state pd, city diplomacy, gay rights

Taliban try soft power

Experts in Afghanistan say a softer line the Taliban is taking on issues like education and reconstruction projects is a tactical ploy to win broader popular support. A Taliban leader was recently quoted by Afghan media outlets as saying the movement was not opposed to education and would protect schools in areas they controlled.

Tags: soft power, public opinion, afghanistan, taliban

Israel to arm combat soldiers with cameras

Reeling from war crimes accusations during a major offensive against Hamas-ruled Gaza more than two years ago, the Israeli military is studying the wide distribution of cameras as a tool to make its case to the world.

Tags: middle east, public opinion, israel, photography

Indian embassy joins Facebook in Nepal

Indian diplomacy is set to make friends and woo youngsters by joining the social networking platform. The latest entrant to join Facebook is the Indian embassy in Kathmandu, one of the biggest Indian missions abroad...

Tags: india, social media, new technology, south asia, facebook, youth, internet diplomacy, social networking, social networks, nepal

Bob Dylan in China

Times are indeed a-changing: Bob Dylan, who became an American icon by “speaking truth to power,” just gave a concert in China, one of the most repressive countries in the world. While there, Dylan not only failed to express solidarity with the Chinese dissidents in jail... he also agreed to perform only “approved content.”

Tags: china, united states, public opinion, non-state actors, non-state pd, bob dylan

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