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.

When values define a country’s brand the Rwandan way

Branding of a country is determined more by its value systems and governance principles. I was in Rwanda last week after one year. Every time I visit the country I observe a number of positive things that we Kenyans have not succeeded in achieving over the years.

Tags: nation branding, leadership, government 2.0, values, rwanda, national identity

UK ranking puts Russia high

A so-called brand ranking of countries, which was held recently by the UK Brand Finance company, shows that Russia, among other BRICS countries, is still very popular with foreign businesspeople as an object for investments.

Tags: nation branding, russia, united kingdom, business, brics

South Africa continues as a valuable brand

Miller Matola, CEO of Brand South Africa, says since 1994, South Africa has continued to exceed expectations in keeping its regulatory and financial environments sustainable and on par with the rest of the world.

Tags: nation branding, south africa, business, investment, brand south africa

This snafu brought to you by the letter ‘S’

More broadly, the assumption underlying most efforts at public diplomacy seems to be the belief that anti-Americanism around the world is a failure of marketing. If we just do a better job of selling what we do around the world ... then Pakistanis won't mind our launching drone strikes on their territory and will give us a free pass when we kill a bunch of border guards by accident.

Tags: united states, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, public diplomacy, pakistan, usaid, television diplomacy, marketing, drones

U.S. pulls plug on Pakistani ‘Sesame Street’

The United States has cut funding to a popular Pakistani version of the children’s program “Sesame Street” amid allegations of fraud and abuse, a US official said Tuesday. The program, run under the umbrella of the US-based Sesame Workshop by a local theater group, had been awarded some $20 million in funds from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Tags: united states, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, pakistan, usaid, television diplomacy

Europe Brings Its Soccer Show East

Poland and Ukraine have the opportunity this month to promote sport in its best light, and both countries hope that the trade-off in terms of new infrastructure and political and economic influence is what they bargained for when they bid five years ago to jointly hold Europe’s soccer championship...

Tags: soft power, government pd, public diplomacy, europe

Image problems grow for Ukraine as Euro soccer nears

The street jugglers are out in action and a festive buzz is growing in the Ukrainian capital where the centre has been transformed into one big Euro soccer ‘welcome’ zone. But the closer the Euro 2012 tournament gets, the more the problems mount for President Viktor Yanukovich.

Tags: government pd, public diplomacy, public opinion, europe, non-state pd, ukraine, euro 2012, uefa cup

Culture Posts: Exposing the Battle of U.S. Values in the Smith-Mundt Debate

Greetings from Washington.... a firestorm has erupted over a Congressional amendment related to U.S. public diplomacy... the ferocity of the debate has had little to do with the technical aspects or merits of the legislation itself. At stake, and what the argument was really about, were iconic American values.

Tags: united states, public diplomacy, public opinion, foreign policy, smith-mundt act, congress

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