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.

UAE Hosts Symposium on Countering Extremism and Terrorism in Education

The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research hosted a symposium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday devoted to confronting the threats of extremism and terrorism. [...] The event is part of a larger struggle led by the UAE to use education and religious messaging as a way to confront terrorism in the region and the world.

Tags: soft power, uae, counter extremism, anti-terrorism, education, strategic approach, religious messaging

Pope Arrives in Colombia to Help Heal Wounds of 50-Year War

Pope Francis arrived in Colombia on Wednesday with a message of unity for a nation deeply divided by a peace deal that ended a five-decade war with Marxist FARC rebels but left many victims of the bloodshed wary of the fraught healing process. Francis, making his 20th foreign trip since becoming pontiff in 2013 and his fifth to his native Latin America, started his visit in Colombian capital Bogota. He will travel later in the week to the cities of Villavicencio, Medellin and Cartagena.

Tags: faith diplomacy, religious diplomacy, vatican diplomacy, colombia, pope francis, pope diplomacy, bogota

Egypt to Repair Synagogue in City of Eight Jews

In a rare mark of respect for the country’s religious minorities, and an even rarer choice to preserve a piece of the country’s Jewish history, the Egyptian government has pledged to repair the building as part of a 1.27bn Egyptian pound (roughly £55m) package to restore eight monuments.

Tags: domestic diplomacy, soft power, egypt, religious minorities, synagogue, history, jewish history

Yangling International Exchange Training Seminar Opens

Serving the International issues relevant to Yangling, the only state-level agriculture hi-tech industries demonstration zone in China, the Yangling International Exchange Center (IEC), welcomed 40 participants drawn from various countries for participation in a month-long- training seminar on “National Development Path and Economic Development” in Yangling Shaanxi Province in China.

Tags: international exchange, yangling, agriculture, china, development, economy, technology

Small States Suffer When Big States Bark

The Qatar crisis raises two issues in the field of international relations today. The first is to disprove the mainstream Cold War-era view that small states cannot play a significant role in global affairs. The second is that big powers always use hard means to take control of ambitious, small states in order to preserve the status quo.

Tags: soft power, hard power, qatar, nepal, international relations, small states, rising powers

The Soft Power of Museums

In the not-too-distant past, museums and the arts were agents of hard power. Wards initially of royal courts and then nation states, museums were repositories of hard power—safeguarding the spoils of war and human conquest of nature.

Tags: soft power 30, museum diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy, soft power, art & culture, guggenheim, america, europe, gugenheim bilbao

Nordic Countries Most Committed to Development

People in Nordic countries aren't just among the happiest – they're some of the most generous, too, giving a large share of their incomes to international aid efforts and supporting government and business investment in developing countries, according to a new report from the Center for Global Development. Denmark, Sweden and Finland top this year's Commitment to Development Index, an annual ranking of 27 of the wealthiest nations in the world by how well their policies help people in developing countries. 

Tags: nordic countries, nordic culture, development diplomacy, Commitment to Development Index, center for global development, denmark, sweden, finland

Rohingya Crisis: How Social Media Adds Fuel to the Flame

As the armed conflict in Rakhine State continues to escalate, forcing over 120,000 Rohingya Muslims from their homes, another war rages online as social media becomes the battlefield for winning hearts, minds and international support. The impact of social media in the latest clashes is proving a powerful tool with counter-narratives being thrown from each side.

Tags: rohingya, digital diplomacy, myanmar, burma, rakhine state, aung san suu kyi, facebook, twitter

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