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 Mexican Media Blackout: Pena Nieto’s War on Bad Press
Six years of unremitting headlines on extreme violence and rampant crime has sullied Mexico’s reputation abroad. Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) and his confrontational “War on Drugs” grew increasingly unpopular over the years, resulting in the 2012 election of opposition party candidate Enrique Peña Nieto, who espoused a new security strategy and vision for Mexico.
The 10 Traits of Globally Fluent Metro Areas: Mayors as Catalysts of Global Trade and Investment
Over the past few years, the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings has collaborated with a wide variety of U.S. metro areas to develop localized export plans and explore the importance of increased global engagement. One of the questions frequently raised by local participants revolves around the role mayors and their associated local economic development offices can and should play in global trade and investment. Some assume this is an area private sector firms can best manage on their own.
Why Nonprofits Deserve More Credit for Public-Private Partnerships
Public-private partnerships have become all the rage. Over the last decade, many government and donor agencies have looked for more efficient ways to leverage their declining resources, and for many, these partnerships have seemed like a effective solution. The phrase “public-private partnership,” however, is widely misused. It is often used to describe a variety of relationships that are, in fact, much more complex than the term implies. Perhaps most importantly, the term doesn’t reflect the involvement key stakeholders, particularly nonprofits.
Israel Forced to Apologise to Japan Over Offensive Hiroshima Comments
Israel has been forced to issue a formal apology to Japan over offensive comments posted on Facebook by its head of online public diplomacy. The apology followed a complaint by the Japanese ambassador to Israel, Hideo Sato, after senior government official Daniel Seaman disparaged commemorations for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombs, causing a wave of protests in Japan.
A Perilous Peace Plan
A few months ago Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was on a roll. Two out of three Colombians approved of the Santos government—a rock-star standing by the bruising political standards of the Andes. The country’s $370 billion economy was soaring, overtaking Argentina as the fifth largest in Latin America. Foreign investors lined up as prospectors found oil, gas, and coal practically everywhere they dug. Crime, once a national scourge, was plunging. The only thing missing was peace.
Why Bo Xilai’s trial is about China, not Bo Xilai
Bo Xilai, a Chinese politican beloved in his hometown, was once considered a top contender for his country’s leadership; now, after a dramatic and sudden fall, he is on trial for corruption and abuse of power. He stands accused of not only taking millions of dollars in bribes, but also of covering up the murder of a British businessman by his own wife. But to one veteran China watcher, Cheng Li of the Brookings Institution, the trial says more about China’s leadership than it does about Bo.
Different Kettles of Fish
On the face of it, the pundits appear to have got their projections for Latin America’s two biggest economies upside down this year. Mexico, which started with the most promise, unexpectedly suffered a 0.7% slump in the second quarter compared with the first three months, according to data released on August 20th, due to a slump in construction, mining and exports. Brazil, which has been the subject of much hand-wringing since China’s demand for commodities collapsed, is expected to show decent growth when second-quarter figures are published on August 30th.
Spain Sets International Tourism Record
In the first seven months of this year, Spain welcomed 34 million international tourists, 3.9 percent more than during the same period in 2012 and a figure that sets a new record, according to data released here Thursday by the Industry, Energy and Tourism Ministry. The number attained by the end of July exceeded by 400,000 the international tourism record to date for the same period set in 2008.
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