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.
World’s reaction to President Obama and the arrest of Henry Louis Gates: Yawn
The reaction in much of the world was muted, or less. But in some countries that have racial tensions similar to the U.S., the coverage was less muted — and looked familiar.
Palestinian, Lebanese rappers to perform at Kennedy Center in Washington
Rappers from the Palestinian territories and Lebanon will perform at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center in Washington on Tuesday as part of a cultural exchange program. The show is part of an initiative launched by the State Department whereby "young performing artists from diverse and traditionally underrepresented communities participate in professional development training in the United States," the State Department said.
Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over Defense Communications
Lawmakers are voicing concerns about the Pentagon's strategic communications programs, through which the military aims to win over civilians and erode support for adversaries in countries around the world....They also suggest that the military is producing propaganda and other materials that mask U.S. government sponsorship and focus "far beyond a traditional military information operations."
Obama Opens China Economic and Policy Talks
Saying that the ties between the United States and China are as "important as any bilateral relationship in the world," President Obama welcomed senior Chinese leaders on Monday to begin high-level consultations on issues like the global economic downturn and North Korea.
British Council Lends Expertise to Emirati Leaders of Tomorrow
The British Council has recently embarked on a regional Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) project in the UAE called Skills for Employability. The initiative aims to support the UAE's vital Emiratisation policy and will help young Emiratis gain skills by strengthening national reforms in technical and vocational education and training, and encouraging closer links between education and industry.
Muslim Voices
A chaikhana is a Central Asian tea-house where poets and performers — men and (unveiled) women — sing verses and recite prose in a conversational atmosphere with fellow patrons. Media coverage of conflicts in the Muslim world often produce a perception that Muslim culture is a contradiction in terms: a suppression of expression, rather than its celebration. But the chaikhana revealed not only the depth of Muslim culture but its breadth as well.
Iran: The Biggest Threat is Internal, says IRGC Commander
The Commander of the Iranian regime's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brig Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari...added "In view of the changing nature of threats against the Islamic Revolution, it appears that we are moving away from hard (power), military and defense threats, and towards more soft (power), political, cultural and security threats..."
Ideas Matter: Restoring the Content of Public Diplomacy
The purpose of this paper is to examine why the ideas that now animate U.S. public diplomacy lead necessarily to its failure and to suggest the principles with which those ideas should be replaced if we are to win the struggle with radical Islamism and to repair the standing of the United States in the world.
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