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.
Hong Kong, Canada Continue Enhancing Ties
As for cultural exchange, Chan said that the Hong Kong Ballet toured four Canadian cities with the classic Sleeping Beauty last year in March, while the Young Academy Cantonese Opera Troupe of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts staged a Cantonese opera performance of Monkey King in Toronto in September.
India Aims for Global Soft-Power Clout Via Republic TV
Now a new initiative called Republic TV, bankrolled by the nationalistic Indian politician and media baron Rajeev Chandrasekhar, stands the best chance to break the inertia and enter the big league in the world news business. [...] Should Republic TV deliver the goods, soft-power benefits will flow to India as an open and argumentative society bringing its distinct non-Western narrative to illuminate the world’s problems and offer solutions.
The Joys of Propaganda
The good news, however, is that propaganda is back. I don’t mean the unfragrant mob of internet miscreants — hacking is to propaganda what stalking is to romance. I mean the impulse to choose a side and press its case with wily elegance. Those of us who grew up in the Cold War have rather missed it — the persistent, well-designed, all-encompassing salesmanship of Life’s Correct Path, backed up with textbooks, posters and unspeakable stockpiles of nuclear weapons.
How Can the Gulf Countries Change Their Image?
When Caryl Stern, president and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, tried to raise financial support for the children of Middle Eastern refugees, she said many Americans tended to “look at her blankly.” It turns out that there was a widespread belief among donors that the Gulf nations are “rich oil countries and they don’t take care of their own,” she said. More troubling was a prevailing stereotype that the region is “a hotbed of terrorism.”
The Past, Present, and Future of Cultural Heritage
During the second half of the 19th century, Tihosuco, a small town in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, was at the center of the indigenous rebellion called the Caste War. Overwhelmed by economic hardships, constant and increasing taxation, repression by Yucatecos (the local population of European descent), and more, the Maya revolted against Mexico, hoping to recover their territory and heritage.
A Tale of Two Countries
Sitting in my bedroom, 200 miles from Aleppo, social media makes it easier than ever to spectate the atrocities of the civil war. But has social media changed the reality of organising a protest on the ground? [...] There are a small number of major competitors for protest organisation platforms. Facebook, of course, has cornered the market. Twitter also plays a role.
Arab & American Youth Anti-Terrorism Org. Launches “PeacePals"
American and Arab lead youth counter-terrorism organization, Defeating Islamic Radicalization and Extremism (DIRE) today announces ‘PeacePals: BFFs Beyond Borders’ (PPBBB), its newest solution based, ‘soft power’ long-term strategic youth program aimed at sowing seeds to create cross-cultural unity and ultimately combat ideological based extremism.
How A Kakaako Mural Festival Took Hawaii’s Art Scene Global
How did an art exhibit in an abandoned Hong Kong restaurant turn into an international mural festival based in Kakaako? The evolution of POW! WOW! Hawaii, an event known to contemporary artists around the world, started with local artist Jasper Wong. When he was based in Hong Kong in 2010, Wong set out to create art that focused on process and collaboration rather than sales potential.
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