Expansion is in the pipeline for Erasmus, the European Union’s higher education exchange programme. Since its launch in 1987, more than three million students have benefited from the system, which supports cooperation between 33 countries.

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, europe, cultural exchange, european union, education diplomacy, academic exchange, erasmus

The Philippine Department of Tourism’s (DOT), “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign has been successful, with memes that started with only four and now multiplied to 55,000, according to DOT. The campaign used powerful images, a catchy slogan, and a memorable theme song. However, Thng notes, that the country also fell short in allowing Hollywood film “Bourne Legacy” film in slum areas. “Personally, I wouldn’t have approved that,” she says, “because that is not the face of the Philippines.”

Tags: nation branding, tourism, philippines

The US National Football League (NFL) has become the latest terrain in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinian-American player Oday Aboushi as the target. Several sports articles have questioned Aboushi's views on Palestine and his ties to Palestinian organisations. Most recently, Jonathan Mael, the new media co-ordinator for Major League Baseball, compared Aboushi to an ex-NFL player charged with murder. He later apologised for the tweet.

Tags: united states, middle east, social media, israel, palestine

In Miami, the couple's short visit to Cuba triggered outrage. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said the trip was nothing more than a "wedding anniversary vacation not even disguised as a cultural program," while Sen. Marco Rubio accused the Carters of "funding the regime's systematic trampling of people's human rights."

Tags: united states, government pd, non-state actors, cultural exchange, tourism, cuba, cuban embargo, beyonce, jay z

The damages of war go far beyond what we once believed; society has now reached an understanding about the kind of moral, communal and psychological toll war can have on the soldiers, their family, community and even country. Perhaps the question we need to ask if there is a need to bolster our quest for non-violence as a means to resolve disputes and differences?

Tags: united states, soft power, government pd, afghanistan, barack obama, military

India’s global ambitions have grown remarkably over the past decade. However, questions are being raised about the capacity of its diplomatic corps to act as an effective catalyst in India’s transformation to a global power. Analysts are asking whether the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) has the numerical strength to project India’s influence in a manner befitting an emerging power. Do its officers have the expertise to engage in the kind of complex diplomacy that is required of a global power?

Tags: government pd, public diplomacy, india, foreign policy, external affairs

South American leaders planned to send a tough message to Washington on Friday over allegations of U.S. spying in the region and to defend their right to offer asylum to fugitive former U.S spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. Capping two weeks of strained North-South relations over the Snowden saga, presidents from the Mercosur bloc of nations were meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay. Complaints against the United States were high on the agenda.

Tags: united states, government pd, venezuela, colombia, south america, bolivia, edward snowden, mercosur

Getting schools and hospitals built to the same standard as World Cup stadiums was one of the main demands made by protesters on the streets of Brazil last month. But just days after FIFA, football’s governing body, handed the national stadium in Brasilia back to its owners following the Confederations Cup, a warm-up tournament ahead of next year’s World Cup, it appears that the problem is not just overspending and late delivery. It’s also management.

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, sports diplomacy, brazil, protests, world cup, fifa