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.

Testing Turkey: Why War in Syria Could Bring Ankara and Washington Closer Together

For a while, Turkey’s quest for influence, and its country’s apparent success as an affluent and highly functioning Muslim-majority society, seemed to be having the effect that Ankara desired. In a 2011 Brookings Institution poll of the Arab countries, Turkey was ranked first among countries believed to have played a “constructive role” in the Arab Spring.

Tags: united states, soft power, middle east, government pd, arab spring, public diplomacy, turkey, foreign policy, syria

Middlepowerism & Continuity in South Korean Foreign Policy

Middlepowerism is a difficult concept...The term can also denote states that demonstrate strong diplomatic aptitude through activities like diplomatic activism, coalition building, niche diplomacy, and “good international citizenship.” But for policymakers and diplomatic practitioners, middlepowerism is something very different.

Tags: soft power, government pd, public diplomacy, south korea, foreign policy, asia, middlepowerism

Secretary Kerry Participates in Youth Connect Event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The United States will continue to inspire young African leaders to drive the path towards democracy, peace, and prosperity for generations to come. This weekend, Secretary Kerry traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he participated in celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the African Union.

Tags: united states, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, public diplomacy, africa, us department of state, john kerry

Pabriks: Swedish Media Do Not Promote Strengthening of European Values in Baltics

The Swedish media in the Baltic States, not being aware of it, often support the so-called soft power and do not promote the strengthening of European values in the Baltics, Defense Minister Artis Pabriks (Unity) emphasized during the "Security around Baltic 2013" conference in Stockholm yesterday, informs LETA.

Tags: soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, public diplomacy, europe, sweden, baltics

The U.S. and Mexico Have Much to Learn from Each Other

Barack Obama's recent visit to Mexico, the fourth of his presidency, represented an important, deliberate attempt to shift the focus of Mexico-U.S. relations from security to economic improvement. But it also represented much more -- a chance to allay the public's profoundly negative conceptions of Mexico by shifting the conversation to education, labor, environment, and other human-scale issues that are truly vital to the future of both countries.

Tags: united states, government pd, public diplomacy, barack obama, mexico, immigration, diaspora

Latin America Needs an Ombudsman

If in Latin America, the ordinary citizens were able to communicate their vicissitudes directly to the chief of state, and if the office of the president became the true public defender, empowered to correct misdoings, denounce violations of the law and survey the actions of the state, we would see how the necessary reconciliation between society and state would gradually occur.

Tags: soft power, government pd, public diplomacy, public opinion, latin america,

What About Silicon Valley’s Foreign Policy?

Packer dismissively discusses Google's work on developing smart parking meters for San Francisco, but doesn't mention that the company has a former State Department staffer running an internal think tank working on topics ranging from media coverage of the Mexican drug war to human trafficking.

Tags: social media, new technology, non-state pd, google, internet diplomacy, silicon valley

Britain’s Anti-Muslim Rage

This pattern of anti-Muslim violence in the wake of extremist attacks has become all too familiar in Britain over the last decade. The public has grappled with angry backlashes to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the London transport bombings of July 7, 2005 and now the murder in Woolwich.

Tags: middle east, public opinion, non-state actors, europe, islam, united kingdom, london

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