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.
Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his work to improve international diplomacy and rid the world of nuclear weapons -- a stunning decision to celebrate a figure virtually unknown in the world before he launched his campaign for the White House nearly three years ago.
Korea Moves to Globalize Hangeul
The administration plans to set up 150 Korean-language schools overseas by 2015 as part of efforts to promote cultural exchanges, President Lee Myung-bak said Friday. The language schools, all called the King Sejong Institute, will play a central role in globalizing the Korean alphabet or hangeul, as well as providing information about the country, he said.
From “people-to-people” diplomacy to public diplomacy
A most salient feature of Chinese diplomacy is the mutual complementation of government diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy, and both aspects of diplomacy almost operated simultaneously upon the establishment of new China. And people-to-people diplomacy has played an irreplaceable role in new China's different historical periods and will continue to make special contributions in this regard.
Engagement with North Korea yields results
North Korea has expressed its willingness to return to the negotiation table in the wake of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Pyongyang. This shows once again that China’s policy of engagement with North Korea has proved effective. Soft power– including the tools of diplomacy, culture and media – is more effective in changing the mindset of people, and thus gaining their cooperation without coercion.
The Irish ‘yes’ brings hope to Europe and to the Balkans
The EU after the Irish 'yes' to the Lisbon Treaty "can re-engage in what it does best - enlarging while at the same time adapting its institutions to the global challenges it faces," writes Ivan Vejvoda, executive director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy, in an October commentary for the German Marshall Fund of the United States, arguing that "Europe's soft power is alive and active".
Turkey eyes political, trade gains in Armenia accords
Ankara can claim a diplomatic triumph if the neighbours see through a promise to restore ties after 100 years of hostility. Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties because of hostility stemming from the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One.
Beijing’s media ‘Olympics’ buttresses China’s soft power expansion
"China doesn't want to destroy the current 'news and information order.' It wants to redraw its borders and take a larger chunk of the territory for itself,'' Bandurski wrote. ''That is why the World Media Summit itself is listed as a critical strategic measure for strengthening Xinhua News Agency's global influence in an article Li Congjun himself wrote.'
Confucianism a vital string in China’s bow
The more China's economic and military muscles expand, the more talk there is of "the rise of China". Economic and military muscle, though, fall under the so-called "hard power" heading. Comparatively, China's "soft power", which it needs to become a real world-class power, is lagging. All the same, some scholars in China argue that Beijing’s soft power is rising, pointing to a revival in Confucianism.
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