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.

Mr. Xi comes to America’s heartland

Mr. Xi’s journey to America’s heartland underscores the importance of the public dimension of U.S-China diplomacy. Since China’s “soft power” efforts have largely been bi-coastal, Mr. Xi’s trip to the fly-over country is particularly noteworthy. Let’s hope that Mr. Xi’s Iowa visit will help broaden and enrich the Chinese imagination of America.

Tags: china, united states, soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, public diplomacy, public opinion

Face-to-face diplomacy

The coming visit of Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping is expected to provide an opportunity to further promote public diplomacy between the two countries. Xi is visiting the United States at the invitation of Vice-President Joe Biden, starting from Feb 13 to 17.

Tags: china, united states, public diplomacy, people-to-people, xi jinping, face to face

Marketing Abu Dhabi’s virtues, no tents needed

Where are the Emiratis living in tents? This is the question I have heard numerous times from visiting journalists. So at the end of the Emirates' international branding efforts and countless projects that have received international recognition, we are still struggling to educate the world on how far we have come as a nation and as a society.

Tags: middle east, nation branding, public diplomacy, national image, abu dhabi

China’s hard, soft power

At a time when the rest of the world marvels at — or perhaps dreads — China’s rise, Beijing perceives a serious weakness in its own armour: the lack of soft power. For all its economic woes, the West still possesses ample soft power as evidenced by its cultural domination.

Tags: china, soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, public diplomacy, confucius institutes, confucius institutes project

Singapore says it with flowers

Cuddly pandas are China's ambassadors of soft power and other countries use money or culture to enhance bilateral ties, but Singapore prefers to say it with flowers -- orchids, to be exact. The tropical city-state cultivates special orchid varieties and names them after a motley mix of foreign leaders and celebrities as part of its diplomatic repertoire.

Tags: soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, government pd, public diplomacy, singapore

Public Diplomacy and Political Warfare Part 4: Communication and Organization February 12, 2012

This connection between communication and organization pops up in Cold War thinking on writings on ‘public diplomacy’ notably in W. Philips Davison’s (1965) International Political Communication. Davison argues that the key role of communication should be to support the organization of pro-US political forces rather than attacking the communists.

Tags: government pd, public diplomacy, propaganda, cold war, soviet union, global communication

Foreign social media to boost Japan tourism

As a way to promote travel, Japan will invite influential bloggers and Twitter users from across the globe to visit areas affected by the earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis, which occurred last March.Targeting these areas will aim to restore Japan’s dwindling tourism, which dropped by 50 percent in the first three months following the natural disasters.

Tags: soft power, social media, japan, tourism, tsunami, foreign affairs

Ginsburg’s Right, U.S. Constitution Is a Bad Model: Noah Feldman

...the U.S. Constitution is now copied less frequently by countries writing new constitutions than in the immediate aftermath of World War II...The implicit fear, made manifest by a posse of commentators, is that our constitutional “soft power” is in decline -- much as our hard power is perceived to be faltering.

Tags: united states, soft power, south africa, supreme court, constitution

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