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.
Iran doesn’t need Obama to speak
Arguably, it was Barack Obama who brought down the virtual wall between Iran and the West with his conciliatory and hopeful Nowruz (Iran's New Year) message on YouTube. I looked on as my friends and family watched his message with adoration in Tehran. "Why can't he be our president", one aunt gushed. It hit a chord, mainly because it made Ahmadinejad look foolish.
Tehran tries to block online chatter
Access to mobile phones and text messaging is limited; the internet is abnormally slow and many websites, including some blogs, are blocked; social networking is out too, with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube difficult to access.
Muslim Voices, Western Ears
There's no doubt that the 10-day Muslim Voices festival staged around New York City that ended on Sunday featured some highly superior expressions of Muslim culture past and present -- or, one should say, expressions of culture from Islamic countries, because the organizers did not intend the festival to provide a coherent impression of what constitutes Muslim culture. Indeed, they explicitly intended the reverse. Americans have a monolithic, negative and superficial view of Islam that the festival was meant to correct, the organizers repeatedly said and wrote.
Winning the Propaganda War, in 140 Characters or Less
Can a spokesman for the Israeli government defend Israel in 140 characters or fewer? That was the question David Saranga, consul for media and public affairs at the Israeli Consulate in New York, sought to answer this week at the most-buzzed about tech conference in recent memory, the 140 Character Conference, which ended on Wednesday.
Goethe Institute Intends To Boost Exchange Among Artists
The German cultural institute, dubbed “Goethe Institute”, intends to boost the exchange between the Angolan and German artists to deepen cultural relations between both countries. The institute intends to upgrade Angolan artists with the knowledge of the German language, cultural sessions and transmit music knowledge.
Turkish Foreign Exchange Teacher at AHS Gives, Gets Lessons
Teacher Mustafa Senel traveled more than 6,000 miles to spend a year at Anderson High School [Indiana], where he learned that students around the world really aren’t so far apart. It was a lesson his students learned first-hand, too.
Ozomatli’s Musical Diplomacy Swings Through Southeast Asia
After doing a Middle East tour as official cultural ambassadors for the U.S. State Department a few years ago, Ozomatli recently completed a trip to Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand under the same auspices.
YouTube Diplomacy and Iran
The Ayatollah is basically powerless against this technology: Block the Internet, cut out the computer, and a YouTube video will still circulate amongst citizens in other formats. Cut mobile telephone services, and a user will find a way to communicate via Twitter online. Block Internet access and users will find foreign-hosted proxy servers communicated via Twitter
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