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.
Minority rights and the Indonesian diaspora
Early last month, the Indonesian government held its first ever congress of Indonesian diaspora in Los Angeles. With the rising importance of Indonesia in international relations, engaging its citizens overseas is one logical way to increase the country’s soft power and culture abroad.
NATO Secretary General meets visiting Japanese high school students
“NATO is more than just a military Alliance”, the Secretary General said. “It is also a community of shared beliefs and principles. All members share the same fundamental values of liberty, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. And all our members are prepared to defend these values whenever necessary”, he added.
The realist prism: Tracing the roots of the Arab Spring
What triggered this tsunami of political upheaval? And is it localized to the Arab world, or could it spread? It is no secret that authorities in Beijing and Moscow are playing close attention, attempting to ferret out any indications that a prerevolutionary situation may be building up in their own societies...
GHSU institute to promote better understanding of China
While each Confucius Institute is slightly different, most help promote Chinese language through instructional courses and classroom programs while also helping educate people about Chinese culture. “I think any promotion of Chinese language and culture and awareness among the public obviously helps people in the United States to understand a globalized world,” Cai said.
National branding and soft power
We should pursue a strategy of diplomatic engagement by inviting as many nations as possible to set shop in Kuwait...With that, we should work hard to establish satellite offices and coordination bureaus of international governmental and non-governmental organizations here in Kuwait bringing in a great number of diplomats as possible.
Merkel’s trip to Beijing is more than panda diplomacy
Relations between Germany and China have progressed well beyond the phase of 'panda diplomacy.'...The most visible expression of this close relationship is the Sino-German government consultations. Germany only maintains such close exchanges with six other countries – all of them European Union members.
Iran’s hard and soft power in Afghanistan
While Iran's weapons and financial aid to the Taliban often make headlines, Tehran's soft power efforts in Afghanistan at the expense of U.S. interests are largely overlooked. According to Davood Moradian, former senior policy advisor at Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry, Iran spends $100 million a year in Afghanistan on funding media, religious and cultural organizations.
Doing the hard sell on soft power
Telling them Australia is jolly friendly to Asia, close to it, wants to be a part of it, has a nice safe lifestyle -- that's not enough. We should be hard-nosed about the career advantages to be gained from our courses: they all get that. But as for the soft power stuff, we should try harder to stay with the big players in that league.
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