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.
Ravi Shankar showed India’s soft power to the world
Ravi Shankar has passed away. He will of course be best remembered as one of the first and longest lasting global rock stars of Indian classical music – if the world knows what a sitar is, if the strains of the sitar are used in pop culture to suggest eastern mysticism, it is likely due to Ravi Shankar.
ASEAN jittery over major power rivalry in Asia
Concern lingers within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that China could use its widening trade and investment ties as a political tool, and Japan needs to regain its soft power through more non-economic engagement with the region, experts from Southeast Asia said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
China to top US ‘by 2030’
China is expected to overtake the US as the world's largest economy a few years before 2030, while the US will remain the top player in the following two decades thanks to its dominant role in international politics, its technological prowess and its soft power that attracts outsiders, said the latest report released on Monday by the US National Intelligence Council (NIC).
Shabash Pakistan culminates with ‘Social Action Projects’ initiation
Shabash Pakistan is a nation branding movement started by NUST and School of Leadership. The movement had been aimed at reviving patriotism and “Pakistaniyat” in the youth of the country and to inculcate among them a sense of contribution towards nation building.
Immigration and American Power
While too rapid a rate of immigration can cause social problems, over the long term, immigration strengthens US power...The fact that people want to come to the US enhances its appeal, and immigrants’ upward mobility is attractive to people in other countries. The US is a magnet, and many people can envisage themselves as Americans, in part because so many successful Americans look like them. Moreover, connections between immigrants and their families and friends back home help to convey accurate and positive information about the US.
Nobel Prize win spurs debate on EU’s role as security provider
The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the EU did not go unnoticed in Washington, serving as a springboard for several debates on the EU and US’ role in promoting peace and security in the world. "We will need to be more capable of adding to soft power bits of hard power," said EU Ambassador to the US Joao Vale de Almeida, on 7 December, sharing a platform at the Brookings Institution.
North Korea hits its mark
North Korea’s successful missile launch now presents Pyongyang as on the cusp of joining the elite club of nations with nuclear-armed Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). That is quite a turn around for the young Kim Jong Un, suddenly thrust into power a year ago, whose first attempt at launching a three-stage missile...was a show that flopped before a global audience.
Your Opinion Needed for the State Department
The State Department wants your opinion. No, not on weighty matters like the Arab Spring/Winter, relations with Russia, the state of NATO, or Chinese free-trade violations. The pressing question of the day is whether it should rename its blog DipNote.
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