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 Enemy In Syria

The Geneva II Middle East peace conference, to be held on January 22, will take place against a backdrop of singularly appalling numbers: Syria’s brutal civil has left an estimated 130,000 dead, 2.3 million refugees registered in neighboring countries, and some four million more internally displaced.

Tags: united states, middle east, arab spring, european union, syria, conflict, bashar al-assad, civil war, summitry, levant

The Changing Face Of Diplomacy

In 1994, rumors circulated that President Bill Clinton would nominate James Hormel, the openly gay American philanthropist, to the post of U.S. ambassador to Fiji. While the reason Hormel was not nominated was never clear, some argued that the White House did not pursue his nomination because the Fijian Penal Code criminalized homosexuality at the time.

Tags: united states, Cultural Diplomacy, barack obama, ambassadors, values, lgbt, bill clinton, gay

UT, US State Department Partnership Among 2013’s Top Diplomacy Efforts

The partnership between UT and the US Department of State to engage women and girls from around the world through sports was named one of the nation’s ten best public diplomacy efforts of 2013. The Public Diplomacy Council ranked the US Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program—the flagship component of the Empowering Women and Girls through Sports initiative—as the ninth best diplomatic accomplishment in 2013.

Tags: public diplomacy, sports diplomacy, women, public diplomacy council, espnw, university of tennessee, global sports mentoring program

What Would Happen If Paddington Bear Tried To Immigrate To The UK Today

Paddington Bear is a much-loved children’s character from deepest, darkest Peru. He’s also an illegal immigrant. According to Michael Bond’s classic books, Paddington is an illegal stowaway who entered Britain with no partner or means of supporting himself, then adopted a different identity before staying in the UK indefinitely.

Tags: government pd, united kingdom, immigration, economy, migration, peru, employment, paddington bear,

2013 Dangerous Cities List Shows LatAm’s Shifting Crime Landscape

The 2013 list of the world's 50 most dangerous cities, compiled by an NGO from Mexico, shows how shifting criminal dynamics through the year have affected violence in places like Cali, San Salvador, Ciudad Juarez and Medellin. San Pedro Sula, Honduras, is the most dangerous city in the world for the third year in a row, according to the Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice.

Tags: non-state actors, brazil, mexico, latin america, colombia, conflict, honduras, violence, citizen council for public security and criminal justice, transnational criminal organizations

Obama NSA Reforms Receive Mixed Response In Europe And Brazil

Europeans were largely underwhelmed by Barack Obama's speech on limited reform of US espionage practices, saying the measures did not go far enough to address concerns over American snooping on its European allies.

Tags: united states, europe, barack obama, brazil, germany, intelligence, national security agency, espionage, spying, data

Graffiti Artist Uses Traditional Korean Patterns to Turn Heads in New York

When Rag & Bone, an American fashion label, opened its doors in 2010 in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood, it was met with an unwelcome surprise. The white walls of its building were vandalized by locals and tainted with scribbles and markings. Out of this initial eyesore, the owners decided to transform the wall into a creative space for artists to showcase their artwork.

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, south korea, art diplomacy, art, graffiti, new york, yoon hyup

Global Insider: Israel’s Voluntary Return Efforts For Asylum-Seekers Find Little Success

This month, thousands of African migrants to Israel, many seeking asylum, marched in Tel Aviv to demand more rights and protections from the Israeli government. In an email interview, Dov Waxman, associate professor of political science at Baruch College and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), as well as the co-director of the Middle East Center for Peace, Culture and Development at Northeastern University, explained Israel’s immigration policy.

Tags: africa, israel, united nations, human rights, immigration, judaism, refugees, migrants, asylum

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