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.

Returnees of English-language program key to Japan-U.S. ties

When current participants in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program gather, the discussion often focuses on English teaching methods. When the program's U.S. alumni get together, however, talk often turns to a weightier subject: U.S. foreign policy towards Japan.

Tags: united states, japan, language exchange, jet

Salehi hails special presidential envoys

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the appointment of special envoys by the president helps advance the Foreign Ministry's objectives.“The Foreign Ministry is completely aware about the dispatch of special presidential envoys… and there is no problem regarding this matter,” Salehi said on Saturday.

Tags: iran, foreign policy, ahmadinejad

The Need to Get Smart

It is not often that an academic concept gains rapid traction in public sphere. After Joseph Nye published a slim volume on “soft power” a few years ago, the idea became the rage in foreign offices and think tanks around the world.

Tags: soft power, barack obama, joseph nye

Egypt: Socal media as a life or death proposition

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians, many wearing bandages from from days of street fighting, turned out in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday for what they are calling the ‘Day of Departure’, a nationwide call for the immediate removal and prosecution of Hosni Mubarak who has ruled the country for 30 years.

Tags: middle east, social media, egypt, crisis coverage, twitter

I never wrote myself off even when some people did—Holly Mallam

Ajibola Adebayo better known as Holy Mallam saw hell in a bid to make a headway when his once affluent family experienced poverty.

Tags: nation branding, celebrity diplomacy, nigeria, comedy

The Lasting Images of Mubarak’s Regime

The age of the image is upon us and the clock cannot be turned back. And yet the Mubarak regime is in denial. It started with muffling the voice of al-Jazeera. I was fortunate to be in Cairo during the first two days of the current uprising.

Tags: middle east, social media, egypt, crisis coverage, internet diplomacy

The revolution will be Twitterised

Gil Scott-Heron once sang that the revolution will not be televised. The Tunisian revolution, and the continuing Egyptian uprising, would seem to refute the great man’s chorus.

Tags: middle east, social media, egypt, crisis coverage, twitter, al jazeera

The Reality of Virtual Power

As Arab regimes struggle with demonstrations fueled by Twitter and Al Jazeera, and U.S. diplomats try to understand the impact of WikiLeaks, it is clear that this global information age will require a more sophisticated understanding of how power works in world politics.

Tags: soft power, middle east, social media, crisis coverage, wikileaks, joseph nye, information technology

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