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.

Afghan Women And The Post-2014 Economy

As discussions about post-2014 U.S. presence in Afghanistan continue, so do concerns about the country’s ability to stand on its own. The Afghan people and their government will determine the direction of the country. And as that future is discussed, so is the question of what will happen to 50 percent of country’s population: women.

Tags: united states, afghanistan, women, human rights, democracy, elections, taliban, conflict, education

Italiano? Nein. A Part Of Italy Wants Out

In Italy's Alps, at the border with Austria, there's a land where people speak in German and dream of independence. Once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, it was annexed by Italy at the end of World War I. But even today, not a single drop of Italian blood runs through the veins of its more than 500,000 inhabitants.

Tags: europe, non-state pd, germany, italy, history, world war i, austria, secession, south tyrol, austro-hungarian empire

A New Model For New Europe

Five years ago, Central and Eastern Europe was home to one of the world’s most impressive growth stories. Annual GDP growth was close to 5%, just behind China and India. Foreign direct investment poured into Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia at a rate of more than $40 billion per year. One in six cars sold in greater Europe was being exported from factories in the region. Productivity and per capita GDP were rising briskly, narrowing the gap with Western Europe.

Tags: europe, development, economy, foreign direct investment, central and eastern europe,

Israel’s Language War II: This Time, It’s Over English

One hundred years ago, in 1913, the Jewish community in Palestine was roiled by controversy, set off when the German aid organization Ezra began work in Haifa on the Yishuv’s first institution of higher education, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Board of Governors decided that German would be the main language of instruction. In response, some teachers said they would refuse to teach and students walked out of their classes. The Board of Governors eventually backed down, and Hebrew became the sole language of instruction.

Tags: israel, language, english, education, hebrew, german, israel institute of technology

Why Dutch Food Is The Best In The World

Over the past few decades, it has become possible to speak of a "global food system"—shorthand for the trade patterns, shaped by multinational companies, that move raw agriculture commodities and processed food across borders. Yet as this fascinating new Oxfam study shows, there are still huge differences in people's experience of food across the globe. Oxfam ranked nations on four criteria: whether food exists in plentiful supply, whether it's broadly affordable, whether it's of good quality, and whether it's causing high rates of obesity and diabetes.

Tags: gastrodiplomacy, globalization, poverty, netherlands, food diplomacy, food security, public health, oxfam, global food system, western europe

Mexican Vigilantes Complicate The President’s Positive Message

Townspeople gathered at dusk in the central square of this city of ranches and lemon groves, planning to pick a committee to support and oversee the activities of a recently arrived self-defense group here. The vigilantes gained acceptance when they recently ran off a cartel accused of everything from extracting extortion payments to making people it didn’t like in the community disappear.

Tags: non-state actors, americas, mexico, security, conflict, counternarcotics, enrique pena nieto, drug cartels, self-defense groups, vigilantes

The Chinese Communist Party Tried Launching A Competitor To iOS. Here’s What The Chinese Said

The Chinese Academy of Sciences unveiled a homegrown operating system called COS (for China Operating System) this week, which it called a crucial national security initiative in light of revelations about pervasive online surveillance by the US National Security Agency. But China’s 618 million internet users aren’t buying it.

Tags: china, new technology, digital diplomacy, chinese communist party, apple, software, ios,

Alhurra And Radio Sawa Provide Extensive Coverage Of The Egyptian Referendum Vote

As Egyptians took to the polls to vote on a new constitution, Alhurra Television and Radio Sawa provided audiences the latest news, expert analysis and reaction from the street. In the week leading up to the election, Alhurra aired a daily program called Constitutional Referendum.

Tags: united states, media, international broadcasting, egypt, alhurra, radio, elections, radio sawa, broadcasting board of governors

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