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.
U.N. Chief’s ‘Quiet’ Outreach To Autocrats Causing Discord
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has a message for despots and dictators: We can talk...Ban has said he is confident that his trademark "quiet diplomacy" can help nudge the most recalcitrant leaders to mend their ways...The approach, however, has recently exposed the U.N. chief to criticism that he too often remains silent in the face of atrocities by the very leaders he seeks to cultivate...His frequent contacts with unsavory leaders have contributed to the United Nations' reputation as a forum for grubby compromises, detractors say.
A Rare Look at North Korean Workers in Russia
The four North Korean workers who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity said they came to Vladivostok, Russia to earn more money to improve their standard of living when they return to North Korea..."This is the first time that we have talked to North Korean workers living outside of their own country," said Dong Hyuk Lee, chief of VOA's Korean Service.
Crossing culture with élan
Returning from a 20-day dance tour across the European continent, dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant says that she has experienced every "dancer’s dream"..."Every city, let alone country, was very different, with a different response to dance," says Ananda. "We were literally performing across boundaries of culture, language, religion and geography. I felt so special to represent India on such diverse platforms."
Putting Leadership Into Words
In a series of foreign-policy speeches, most notably one delivered in Cairo and addressed to the Muslim world, polls show that Mr. Obama has been able to restore some of America's soft power. So far, so good, but effective leadership is also communicated by actions and policies. At this stage, it is too early to determine whether Mr. Obama's policies will reinforce or undercut the effects of his words.
Who does not want to conclude the Doha Round?
Everyone wants a swift conclusion to the Doha Round, yet there is a natural skepticism on whether the mini-ministerial meeting starting from today in Delhi will show a way forward...Not only Doha Round, but all matters relating to the WTO rest on the Capitol Hill in DC. Unless the US president has a fast-track authority, no commitments can be made by other parties.
Obama Not Smooth On Gdansk
The lack of understanding of European history and sensitivities was not lost on the Polish chattering classes. For an administration that pledged to prioritize public diplomacy, this treatment of an ally was appalling. Unsurprisingly, popular opinion of the United States took a serious nose dive in Poland.
Gov’t A-Team to Bitz US to Explain ‘True Roots of Conflict’
The government will unleash a public diplomacy blitz in the US on Sunday aimed at nothing less than reframing the Israeli-Arab conflict. Just a little more than a week after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu returned from London and Berlin, where he took every opportunity to say that the core of the conflict was not the settlements, but rather the failure of the Arab world to recognize the right of the Jews to a state in the region.
Opinion: Pushing China’s buttons
The Dalai Lama has visited Taiwan before, but his visit comes at a delicate time. Ma’s government had been improving relations with the mainland, with direct tourist flights and shipping across the Taiwan Straight without having to first transit Hong Kong. A considerable number of Taiwan citizens live and work in China now, and China has become Taiwan’s biggest trading partner.
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