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.

Progress or Propaganda?: A Critical Roundup of Reactions to China’s Colossal New National Museum

Over a decade in the making, and with a $400 million price tag, it's a key piece of China's efforts to exert the "soft power" of culture on a grand international scale. The museum merges two prior institutions: the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution.

Tags: china, soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, public opinion, art diplomacy, propaganda

Mohali Diplomacy Building A Bridge Not A Wall: View From Pakistan

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s invitation to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to watch the Cricket World Cup semi-final between the two countries is not quite a googly — cricket diplomacy has been used in the past — but can something come of the gesture?

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, india, pakistan, public opinion, sports diplomacy, cricket

U.S. Interests in the Middle East

One of the consequences of the various uprisings gripping the Middle East will be a forced reappraisal of what American interests are in the region. No one is quite sure what will replace the old order that is in the process of either being swept away or seriously rattled, but I think it's clear that what follows will entail a rethink of U.S. policy.

Tags: united states, middle east, public opinion, polling

That French Bike Race Might Seem Easy Compared to This One

When the creators of the Tour de Pakistan launched Asia's longest cycling race in 1983, they were inspired by the Tour de France, right down to the name of the event and the yellow jersey awarded to the leader. But there the similarities come to an abrupt halt.

Tags: pakistan, non-state actors, non-state pd, sports diplomacy, cycling

World Press Freedom Day 2011 To Focus On 21st Century Media

"21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers" is this year's theme of the World Press Freedom Day. It also marks the 20th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration for the promotion of free and pluralistic media.

Tags: media, new technology, us department of state, social networks, freedom of press

Public Diplomacy Done Right with School Meals

McHale calls the Marshall Plan "the greatest example in our nation's history of Public Diplomacy done right." Food was what got the Marshall Plan started, in the form of an interim aid program in 1947-1948, and this is where public diplomacy came in.

Tags: united states, europe, gastrodiplomacy, italy, marshall plan, food aid

Retraction, Renunciation, Rejection, Repudiation: Reconsidering the Goldstone Report

At the close of a week heavy with international change, natural and political trauma, as the American nation awaited news about its economy and its President’s second term candidacy, Richard Goldstone, retired South African justice, former U.N. International Criminal Tribunal prosecutor...

Tags: middle east, public opinion, israel, human rights, image

Israel’s public image problem

Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak has warned that the country could face a “diplomatic tsunami” later this year. He was referring to an effort by the Palestinians to win recognition from the United Nations as an independent state.

Tags: soft power, nation branding, israel, image

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