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.
Could the U.S.-Cuba Travel Ban End Soon?
There are no better ambassadors of American culture and American democracy than Americans themselves," says Herrero, 31. Many fellow Cuban Americans who've traveled there, he adds, have come to the same conclusion: they "always come back saying it was a completely eye-opening experience" and have "changed their views because they witnessed firsthand the ineffectiveness of our current policy.
Where are the moderate voices from the Arab world?
The administration aims to replace the advocacy of American values with a new focus on empowering local voices. Those policies, taking shape at the US Department of State under a new Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith A. McHale, represent a promising departure from the failed "spoon-fed democracy" approach that Admiral Mike Mullen rightly criticised recently.
Denmark Honored as the Second Most Peaceful Nation in the World
Denmark was ranked the second most peaceful nation in the world based on the Global Peace Index (GPI). The GPI, which ranked 144 countries in 2009, is a composite of 23 indicators, such as military spending, organized conflict, access to small arms, relations with neighboring countries and respect for human rights.
A Year of Living Dangerously: Expectations Undermining Public Diplomacy
As for public diplomacy, which had been one of the problem areas of the Bush administration, Mr. Obama and his chosen Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized a new era of communication with audiences world wide. Through the use of the new media, Internet and cell phone technology, the incoming Obama administration’s message was pushed aggressively to young audiences.
America Shouldn’t Blow an Opportunity for Green Diplomacy
Among all the talk about soft power and smart power something big and obvious has been missing: wind power. By not being a global leader on climate change over the past decade America has blown a major opportunity to engage in Green Diplomacy—the strategic use of clean energy projects to boost development and security in poor countries.
America Shouldn’t Blow an Opportunity for Green Diplomacy
Among all the talk about soft power and smart power something big and obvious has been missing: wind power. By not being a global leader on climate change over the past decade America has blown a major opportunity to engage in Green Diplomacy—the strategic use of clean energy projects to boost development and security in poor countries.
Obama’s “Timidity” is a Foreign Policy Virtue
Skeptics regard soft power as over-rated, but it is a mistake to discount the role that transformative leaders can play in changing the context of difficult issues. Power involves setting agendas and creating others' preferences as well as pushing and shoving. Soft power alone rarely solves hard problems. That is why the administration speaks of "smart power" that successfully combines hard and soft power resources in different contexts.
Fiji: Reality, brand, mirage
Fiji is somehow blessed with a nation-brand that many African nations would kill for. Despite the 2006 coup, Fijian tourism brought in nearly $500 million in 2008, 24% of GDP, more than the nation earned from the next seven industries combined. Fiji Water is now the leading imported bottled water in the US, and represents 20% of Fijian exports and 3% of GDP, benefitting from and reinforcing an image of Fiji as an unspoiled tropical paradise.
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