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.

The Independent Power of Cultural Diplomacy

In order for soft power to be effective, however, you need a foundation of trust between countries. This can be a problem with traditional forms of cultural diplomacy, which are often perceived as being merely vehicles for sweetening the appeal of government policy. If a country is perceived to be overly self-interested as it deploys soft power, its efforts will fall flat.

Tags: soft power, united kingdom, bbc, british council, values

Ihsanoglu Calls for “Preventive Cultural Diplomacy” to Keep Interfaith Harmony

Ihsanoglu stated that Islamophobia is a contemporary manifestation of racism. He assured that combating Islamophobia as well as vilification of all religions and denigration of symbols and personalities sacred to all religions is a matter of priority at the OIC. He urged the HRC to an urgent initiative of ‘preventive cultural diplomacy’.

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, faith diplomacy, islam, engagement, islamophobia, stereotypes

NATO’s public diplomacy overload

Today’s NATO suffers from a public diplomacy overload rather than an image problem. Far from being a panacea to its democratic deficit, the dominant influence of public diplomacy strategies and their advocates on Allied decision-making is arguably part of the problem.

Tags: soft power, public diplomacy, hard power, nato, image building

‘Oscar diplomacy’? Obama ought to try it on Iran

Richard Nixon had his “ping-pong diplomacy” with China. Maybe it’s time for Barack Obama to try a little “Oscar diplomacy” with Iran...Who knows? If a process of change can begin with a ping-pong paddle, maybe it can also begin with a golden statuette.

Tags: united states, Cultural Diplomacy, public diplomacy, iran, film diplomacy

America’s image problem in Afghanistan

When Muslims around the world turn on the television, open the newspaper, or check out their favorite websites, they are more likely to see injustice, intolerance, and indignity coming from America the (Not Always So) Beautiful. Muslims can get outraged over the picture of Syed Wali Shah, a seven-year-old victim of a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan.

Tags: united states, public diplomacy, public opinion, afghanistan, national image, media frames

‘SalamWorld’ to be Facebook for Muslims — but much cleaner

Muslim users who choose to ditch Facebook for the upcoming social network SalamWorld shouldn’t expect to find a Madonna video or discussion of sex anywhere on the site. Salamworld hopes to be a far cleaner version of Facebook, by “filtering out harmful content” and ensuring that its pages “uphold and respect family values".

Tags: public diplomacy, social media, new technology, facebook, censorship

National security & foreign policy priorities in the FY 2013

...The fourth priority is what I call economic statecraft; in particular, how we use diplomacy and development to create American jobs. We have more than 1,000 State Department economic officers working to help American businesses connect to new markets and consumers.

Tags: united states, government pd, public diplomacy, us department of state, usaid

Why foreign assistance is still important

Americans may be more interested in domestic issues with gas prices rising sharply, unemployment still high, and continued instability in the market -- but a coherent message from Secretary Clinton that stresses the important role that foreign aid plays in an increasingly unstable democratic world is in dire need.

Tags: united states, government pd, public diplomacy, aid diplomacy, foreign aid

Pages

Stay in the Know

Public Diplomacy is a dynamic field, and CPD is committed to keeping you connected and informed about the critical developments that are shaping PD around the world. 

Depending on your specific interests, you can subscribe to one or more of CPD's newsletters >.

Visit CPD's Online Library

Explore CPD's vast online database featuring the latest books, articles, speeches and information on international organizations dedicated to public diplomacy.