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.
Bollywood Journal: How Bollywood Sees the U.S.
What character does the U.S. have in the fantastical lands of Bollywood? A handful of recent films have truly absorbed America into their land of dreams. They’ve ditched most of the stereotypes about corrupt, debauched Westerners seen in films from past eras...but they also creatively use American settings for stories that deal with the unique risks and freedoms of the 21st-century world.
Microbloggers Pressure Beijing to Improve Air Pollution Monitoring
The U.S. embassy in Beijing...broadcasts its readings via an iPhone app and through Twitter, which is blocked inside China but can be accessed by tech-savvy Chinese who...circumvent the country’s Web censorship system...As a result, many Beijingers are becoming increasingly aware that the embassy’s readings often contradict those from Beijing’s environmental bureau...
Increditable! IMF’s Lagarde Joins China’s Top Microblogging Site
Chinese Internet users were split on how to interpret the sudden appearance of IMF managing director Christine Lagarde on Sina Weibo, the country’s dominant Twitter-esque microblogging service. Others...choosing instead to welcome Ms. Lagarde with warnings not to use the service to solicit China’s help in solving the financial mess in Europe.
The Arab Spring: A New Era in a Transforming Globe
The technological and informational revolutions that have spurred (and continue to spur) globalization and interconnectedness between cultures make it impossible for tyrants to rule for the entirety of their lifetimes while mercilessly subjugating their peoples to lives of servitude with no prospect of ever tasting the true meaning of freedom.
The Clash of Civilizations?
Cross-cultural tensions on the American campus may still increase because...it’s fundamentally a clash of civilizations. Chinese and Americans have fundamentally different values, norms, and worldviews, and Chinese students on U.S. campuses is merely the first front of the inevitable struggle between the hegemon and its challenger.
With Friends Like These: Influencing Allies and Clients
Just as in relationships between people, states generally treat different categories of other states differently: With friends they appeal to loyalty and shared values; with allies they appeal mainly to shared interests; with clients or subordinates, they also appeal mainly to shared interests, but with a twist given the power equation.
The Changing Nature of Coercive Power
Networks are becoming increasingly important, and positioning in social networks can be an important power resource. Coercion remains an important aspect of power in this global information age, but policy answers will often depend on the context of each market and its asymmetries of vulnerability.
Satirical Video Attacks the Military-Religious Complex in Pakistan
"Aalu Anday" or "Potato and Eggs" starts innocently enough but soon launches into a tongue-in-cheek attack on the country's political establishment and its conservative, religious underpinnings. The song has not only made waves in Pakistan, but across the border in India, where the plight of Pakistan's beleaguered liberals has won a lot of sympathy.
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