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.
Muslim Voices, Western Ears
There's no doubt that the 10-day Muslim Voices festival staged around New York City that ended on Sunday featured some highly superior expressions of Muslim culture past and present -- or, one should say, expressions of culture from Islamic countries, because the organizers did not intend the festival to provide a coherent impression of what constitutes Muslim culture.
U.S. Steps Gingerly Into Tumult in Iran
On Monday afternoon, a 27-year-old State Department official, Jared Cohen, e-mailed the social-networking site Twitter with an unusual request: delay scheduled maintenance of its global network, which would have cut off service while Iranians were using Twitter to swap information and inform the outside world about the mushrooming protests around Tehran.
Was Iran’s Election Rigged? Here’s What Is Known So Far
My personal feeling is that Ahmadinejad could not have gotten anything more than 10 million. And I really do have the data from previous elections, each district, how they voted, each province, to make comparisons with these numbers that the Ministry of Interior have come out. I am convinced that they just pulled it out of their hats. They certainly didn't pull it out of ballot [boxes] or even stuffed ballots, they just made up numbers and are putting it out. It just doesn't make sense.
Exchange Students Offer Insight, Education to Hosts
Joann Schultz and her husband Marvin have been host parents for four boys from three different countries over the past five years. It all started when ICES (International Cultural Exchange Services) called Joann to ask if she would like an exchange student? Joann accepted, and in a few weeks she and Marvin were welcoming a boy from Slovakia into their home.
Whither Twitter?
Twitter is serving two different purposes in Iran right now. Its first role is as a coordination device for Iranian supporters of Mousavi -- much like events in Moldova from a couple of months ago. On this dimension, to be sure, it would seem that Twitter has facilitated coordination.
Nepalese Cultural Delegation Leaves for China
A large people-to-people cultural friendship delegation group comprising of writers, poets, artists, composers and businessmen from Nepal have left for Lhasa for a two week visit in China and Tibet, at the invitation of the Cultural Ministry of China and Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries,
More on Twitter and protests in Tehran
So back to cyber-protests in Tehran! One of the most discussed online initiatives of the last 24 hours has been a campaign to change users' Twitter location to Tehran. This has been done in order to confuse the authorities about the real users tweeting from Tehran and thus make it safer for them to continue operating.
How the Palestinians Should Respond to Netanyahu
Future public diplomacy efforts by the Palestinians and Arab States should also focus their attention on the mainstream American Jewish Community. A large number of American Jews support Obama's efforts to push Israel toward a settlement freeze, a fact Netanyahu is keenly aware of.
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