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.
Kerry Praises Assad for Acting on Syria’s Chemical Weapons in ‘Record Time’
As the program to destroy Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons begins, the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is winning some rare praise from the West for its cooperation in the ambitious mission. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that it was a “credit” for the Assad regime that the process of destroying the chemical weapons had begun in “record time” and with the compliance of Damascus.
Abe’s Wife Speaks Up For International Exchanges
Akie Abe, the wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is eager to rub elbows with first ladies from other countries to improve mutual understanding. “I wish to build friendships with the wives of other leaders by going beyond politics and without being bound by political debates by our husbands who are responsible for national interests,” she said.
Gul: Turkey Looks for Enhanced Cooperation with India
Turkish President Abdullah Gul received his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee in the capital city of Ankara on Monday, expressing his hopes towards enhanced cooperation between the two countries. "Turkey and India have a big potential of cooperation in many fields. We believe this cooperation in the fields of business, investment, finance and commerce will step up in a short period of time," Gul told during a dinner with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee in the capital city of Ankara.
Afghanistan Moves Closer To Historic Political Transition
Election authorities in Afghanistan have wrapped up a three-week process of registering candidates for next April’s crucial presidential vote. By the end of the deadline on Sunday, about 20 political heavyweights, including Islamist warlords, had submitted their candidacies for the country’s top office. While the list of registered contenders for the April 5 presidential election has ended weeks of speculation over who is going to seek to replace President Hamid Karzai, the race remains wide open, with no clear front-runner.
Are We Shifting to Africa Rather Than Pivoting to Asia?
This weekend, the United States conducted two raids against militant Islamists in Tripoli, Libya and Barawe, Somalia. Though the action in Tripoli appeared to be more successful—FBI and CIA agents nabbed Abu Anas al-Liby, a suspected leader of Al Qaeda—the significance of both raids lies less in their immediate success and more in their implications for American involvement in Africa.
Breaking The Silence Between The U.S. And Iran
Tension, distrust, hostility: For more than 30 years, those words have described the relationship between Iran and the United States. But there's one other overriding word to describe it: silence. Since 1979, no American president had spoken with a leader of Iran. That all changed on Sept. 27, when President Obama entered the White House briefing room and said that he had spoken with Hassan Rouhani, Iran's new president, by telephone.
U.S. Al-Qaeda Raids in Somalia, Libya Trigger Backlash
Two U.S. raids in Africa show the United States is pressuring al-Qaeda, officials said on Sunday, though a failure in Somalia and an angry response in Libya also highlighted Washington's problems. In Tripoli, U.S. forces snatched a Libyan wanted over the bombings of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi 15 years ago and whisked him out of the country, prompting Secretary of State John Kerry to declare that al Qaeda leaders "can run but they can't hide."
Somalia Says Working With Foreign Partners on Terror ‘No Secret’
Somalia said Sunday it was “not a secret” it is working with foreign governments to fight terror and described the country's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militants as a threat to the world. Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdo was commenting after U.S. commandos launched a raid against Shebab militants in Somalia, in tandem with a strike against a wanted Al-Qaeda leader in Libya.
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