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.
Pakistanis voice concerns about Obama’s new Afghanistan plan
For the first time, Obama was very categorical about these safe havens and sanctuaries. It's now going to be much more difficult for those in Pakistan who have been in a state of denial about it," analyst Ahmed Rashid told Dawn Television here. "It's really crunchtime.
Cracking Cuba
Rather, they illustrate that the economic pressure that failed to yield either regime change or human rights reforms over more than four decades of Fidel Castro's rule is just as ineffective today as it has always been. Instead of continuing a failed policy, the Obama administration should craft a new one of incentives for Cuba to improve its human rights record.
Taliban Out-Surging Us in Information War
Since 2006, Websites such as ”Voice of Jihad” have been displaying images of killed and captured NATO soldiers and extol recent Taliban victories. In addition, the Taliban have a full fledged public diplomacy campaign going on, producing magazines, DVDs of successful attacks and a variety of Taliban cassettes with songs celebrating Taliban heroes and martyrs. According to the Times, you can even get down loadable Taliban mobile phone ring tones.
Karabakh: the quest for peace
The re-emergence of Turkey as an active player has also had a considerable impact on the region. Ankara’s Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform (launched in the aftermath of the Georgia-Russia war) and Turkey’s groundbreaking rapprochement with Armenia has not only brought Karabakh back to the international agenda but also has the potential to change the regional dynamic in the South Caucasus.
Korea Expands Diplomacy Through Regional Forums
Hosting diplomatic forums is a new trend in efforts to building effective relationships with regions with which Korea is yet to develop close ties. The third Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum will be held in Seoul on Wednesday with 50-odd delegates from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Seoul has recently held a series of forums with African and Latin American countries as well that brought both diplomats and private citizens together.
Will Iran Help or Hinder Obama in Afghanistan?
Can Obama's Afghan plan succeed without cooperation from Tehran? The question may seem moot, since Iran is hardly in a cooperative mood at the moment. After a vaguely conciliatory flutter in the fall, the government of President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad seems to have returned to its intransigent position on uranium enrichment. Tehran's suspicion of and hostility toward the U.S. has deepened since the course of the turmoil that followed President Ahmedinejad's disputed reelection in June.
Obama’s Asian trip in a changing world
The US President, Barrack Obama recalled his personal experience and family roots in Asia and conveyed his intention to engage deeply with the region. Whether or not his skills in cultural diplomacy can rebuild the U.S. influence in a region that Bush Washington neglected, remains to be seen.
Johnson, Gorbachev, Obama
So why wasn’t the Afghan population more directly consulted? “To me, what was most concerning is that there was never any consultation with the Afghan shura, the tribal elders,” said Greg Mortenson, whose extraordinary work building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan was chronicled in “Three Cups of Tea” and his new book, “From Stones to Schools.” “It was all decided on the basis of congressmen and generals speaking up, with nobody consulting Afghan elders. One of the elders’ messages is we don’t need firepower, we need brainpower.
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