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.
Switzerland Summer Camp Becomes Basketball Melting Pot
Coaches and players often travel the globe -- Asia, Africa, Europe -- this time of year to spread the NBA gospel, promoting basketball camps that attract adoring youngsters eager to learn the game. Rarely do they find anything as diverse and far-reaching as they do in the little hamlet of Zofingen, Switzerland, which becomes a very popular basketball melting pot for two weeks every summer.
What if ‘English Only’ Isn’t Wrong?
On the campaign trail in 2008, Barack Obama was asked about foreign-language education. He responded emphatically, calling it "embarrassing" that most Americans are monolingual. Being able to speak a foreign language makes you "so much more employable," he said. "We should be emphasizing foreign languages in our schools from an early age."
Irish artists come together for peace in Palestine
Recently in the international media there has been an interesting story of a courageous initiative by 150 Irish artists who have pledged to boycott Israel. These artists were not only stating their opposition to Israeli policies, they were also pledging not to participate in any kind of artistic event related to Israel.
China’s soft power set for global audience
Last December the Beijing-based China Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Company purchased the White House Theater in Branson, a small town in the US Midwest and a popular destination for American vacationers...It is a small example of Chinese culture going international but there could be many more to come. China Heaven Creation is one of the 211 companies listed by the Ministry of Culture as key export-oriented culture enterprises.
There’s Already A Parody North Korean Twitter Account
When news broke earlier this week that North Korea had started a Twitter account (under the name uriminzok or “Our People” in Korean), it seemed inevitable a parody version would emerge.
Great Moments in Public Diplomacy
James K. Glassman is a rarity: a Republican who believes, and is willing to say, that President Obama "is the greatest public diplomat we've had in decades." Glassman, who served as undersecretary for public diplomacy under George W. Bush, also believes that the controversy over the planned Islamic community center will hurt the U.S. image among Muslims abroad. And he believes that Obama's task, like his predecessor's, is to replace the conspiratorial narrative about a United States as an enemy of Islam with one in which a tolerant, freedom-loving country does right by Muslims
Contest of the century
As China and India rise in tandem, their relationship will shape world politics.
Muzzled Musicians, Meet Your Match
'I hope one day I come to see you because, every day here, it's worse and worse." The young man's guarded, disconsolate voice comes distantly from Iran on a bad Skype line. He's a well-known figure in that country's burgeoning but relentlessly suppressed underground rock music scene. Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei recently declared music to be "incompatible" with the values of the Islamic Republic...
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