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.
Abeducation: New Opportunity for US-Japan Ties?
In recent years a considerable amount of policy energy has been focused on ensuring the vitality and relevance of the U.S.-Japan security alliance. Now, with Japan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks (TTP), attention has refocused on the economic aspect. Somewhat less consideration has been paid to the fundamental foundation of the relationship: people-to-people exchange. Total human flow from Japan to the U.S. has declined significantly over the last 15 years, and while the numbers of U.S. arrivals to Japan have grown, they remain low.
Tongue of War
With his remark, "The English language has caused a great loss to the country," BJP president Rajnath Singh threw a stone in the pond before he set off for the US to try out his own brand of the language. The ripple was not long in coming. There was a statement in support by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who deplored the "illusion that English is the only means of progress" as well as a counter-statement by a Congress leader, slamming Rajnath Singh's stance as smacking of "medievalism or hypocrisy".
Crossing Political Divides, One Broadcast at a Time
While the revolt turned civil war rages across Syria, a group of activists are working to broadcast a new kind of revolution on the country’s FM airwaves – Radio al-Kul... The station, which is based in Istanbul but is one of only a handful of opposition media broadcasting inside Syria, can now be heard in six provinces. Its mission is not only to expand its geographic reach, but also to reach Syrians from across the political spectrum.
Should ‘Modern Latin Alphabet’ be Required on Monterey Park Business Signs?
Drive along Atlantic Boulevard in Monterey Park and you'll see signs of every shape and color written in Chinese characters. It's a testament to the city's large Asian American population. Most also have wording in English – and officials in the San Gabriel Valley city want to make that a requirement.
From a Whisper to a Shout: Promoting Women in Zimbabwean Newsrooms
One of America’s flagship weekly national news magazines, Newsweek, faced a Title VII Civil Rights Act gender discrimination case from 46 of its female employees in 1970. Despite that important case so many years ago, in 2009 a group of Newsweek’s female reporters wrote with dismay that not much had changed. 43 of 49 Newsweek cover stories that year were written by men, and, across America, women got only one byline at a major magazine for every seven bylines by their male colleagues.
Australia to Pioneer Ambassador Role for ‘Disability-Inclusive’ Development
Not just development, but protecting those who are most disadvantaged among the poor. Australia announced on Monday that it will be the first country to appoint a new Ambassador for Disability-Inclusive Development, as part of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and International Development Minister Melissa Parke’s efforts to boost efforts for “people with disability in developing countries to have access to the same opportunities as others and an equal say in the decisions that affect their communities.”
Poll: Arab Youth Feel Alienated From Politics
The majority of youth from Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen - countries that went through a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests that began in December 2010 - feel disenfranchised from the political process in their country, a poll conducted by Al Jazeera Studies Centre has revealed. The study, published on Monday, also found that most of the 8,045 of women and men aged 17 to 31 surveyed from the four so-called "Arab Spring" nations, did not believe that their recently elected parliaments represented them.
Is China the West’s Friend or Enemy?
The sudden growth of China as a world economic power has alarmed a great many people in the West. For The Editors, a programme which sets out to ask challenging questions, I decided to find out whether China is the West's friend, or its enemy. People worry that China, which is still notionally Marxist-Leninist, will use its huge economic power to threaten liberal Western values.
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