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.
Hassan Rouhani: Refreshing Iran’s Image?
It is only in working democracies that an election would mean a real fresh start for the citizens of a country. This seems to be true about Iran. Since the election of the moderate Hassan Rouhani in June 2013, the voters inside the country and statesmen across the world have expected a relatively new Iran.
Romania Wants to Become A Public Diplomacy Player
When public diplomacy issues are discussed, focus tends to be on major powers that are particularly active in this field – the United States, China, Israel, the United Kingdom, Russia, and a few others. But Romania has now announced that it wants to join the big guys’ club, and it is taking purposeful steps toward doing so.
The President Of Twitter
For a sitting head of state, Toomas Hendrik Ilves spends an awful lot of time on the internet. Most world leaders leave their online presence to aides, punctuated only by the occasional initialized platitude. The president of Estonia, however, spends hours a day reading, writing, and tweeting to his nearly 17,000 followers about issues ranging from European Union border controls to the latest Thomas Pynchon novel.
Obama’s New Realism: Give Diplomacy a Chance
Whatever else it accomplishes, Syria’s agreement to disclose its chemical-weapons stockpiles and, eventually, destroy them, made President Obama’s address at this year’s United Nations General Assembly much easier. Rather than having to explain why U.S. bombs had been dropping on targets in Damascus, he was afforded a friendly environment in which to talk up the diplomatic efforts that are under way to resolve the Syrian crisis, and to encourage a similar effort addressed to the Iranian nuclear question.
What an Open Oil Sector in Mexico Might Look Like
The Mexican oil industry, long a state monopoly, appears to be on the verge of opening itself to outsiders. In August, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto presented a proposal to allow national oil company Petróleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, to enter into joint ventures, and for private oil companies to operate their own projects in profit-sharing agreements with the government. Mexico's opposition parties have their own proposals.
Why Big American Businesses Fail in China
If Tolstoy had written a history of foreign corporations in China, it might have started something like this: “Companies that succeed in China do so for similar reasons; every company that fails, fails in its own way.” It’s not because the businesses were incompetent. Many of the biggest failures belong to the Fortune 500: Mattel, eBay, Google, Home Depot. All of these have thrived in markets around the world, but not in China. Why?
Saudi National Day; Kingdom A ‘Champion’ of Muslim Unity, Says OIC Chief
Saudi Arabia’s support to the Islamic world has been put under the spotlight by the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as the kingdom marks its 83rd National Day. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the occasion would celebrate “a time when the Kingdom is enjoying dignity and prosperity under the wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.”
Angola: New Crackdown on Peaceful Dissent
The Angolan government should immediately end arbitrary arrests and assaults against peaceful protesters and journalists, Human Rights Watch said today. All those held for exercising their rights to assembly and expression should be released unless they are promptly charged with a credible criminal offense.
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