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.
In ‘First Step,’ India and Pakistan Resume Talks
India and Pakistan took a “first step” toward rebuilding confidence on Thursday after a wide-ranging meeting between high-level diplomats of both countries that included discussions on terrorism, the Mumbai attacks, the disputed border region of Kashmir and competing water claims.
Gaddafi calls for jihad against Switzerland
At a meeting in the city of Benghazi to mark the prophet Muhammad's birthday, Gaddafi described the country as an infidel state that was "destroying" mosques. Last year he urged the UN to abolish Switzerland and divide it between Germany, France and Italy.
Fanfare for the comic men at the India-Pakistan border
The daily theatrics, part rooster strut, part goose-stepping, part Monty Python Ministry of Silly Walks, start at 4:30 in India, 4:00 in Pakistan. (The two can't agree on the border crossing's name, officially known as Attari in India, so why should the time of day be any different?)
Theater helps rebuild Iraq’s cultural identity, says expert
DW: Northern Iraq in particular has suffered under the dictatorship and subsequent war. Does cultural reconstruction play a role here in re-establishing an identity? Ohtmann: Originally, theater in Kurdistan in Iraq was as cultural movement, a form of resistance against the dictatorship. Just like other ethnic groups, the Kurds want to express themselves, and theater is a way of doing that.
Talking-Cure Diplomacy
The basic problem is that, like Bill Clinton, the Obama administration believes that the two sides are essentially rational, acting in their own best interests, and that to get the process unstuck the mediator must simply bridge their differences. Rather, it is clear to me as a psychologist that the two sides are steeped in collective trauma, for which the only prescription is diplomatic therapy.
Iran, Syria mock U.S. policy; Ahmadinejad speaks of Israel’s ‘annihilation’
The presidents of Iran and Syria on Thursday ridiculed U.S. policy in the region and pledged to create a Middle East "without Zionists," combining a slap at recent U.S. overtures and a threat to Israel with an endorsement of one of the region's defining alliances.
Kashmir is a key to South Asian peace
At long last, a series of conferences and engagements has given us tentative hope for the resolution of the 62-year-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. If these efforts reach their goal, they might not only transform the long-troubled relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors; they may also substantially contribute to peace in nearby Afghanistan.
Despite Pressure, China Still Resists Iran Sanctions
Despite intense public and private pressure by the Obama administration, China has not yet shown any sign that it will support tougher sanctions against Iran, leaving a stubborn barrier before President Obama’s efforts to constrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
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