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.
Facebook Sets Tone in Iran’s Electoral Contest
As they struggle to compete against an Iranian president who enjoys the support of a powerful state apparatus, leading candidates in June’s election are resorting to Facebook to spread their messages.
Mideast’s Christians Declining in Influence
Christians used to be a vital force in the Middle East. They dominated Lebanon and filled top jobs in the Palestinian movement. In Egypt, they were wealthy beyond their number. In Iraq, they packed the universities and professions. Across the region, their orientation was a vital link to the West, a counterpoint to prevailing trends.
Turkey Opts for Soft Power Against PKK
The Turkish government is planning to shift to soft power in a bid to quell a bloody insurgency in the mainly Kurdish parts of the country.
U.S. State Department Official Encourages Dialogue With Muslim World
President Obama and his administration are fully committed to pursuing “a deep and positive dialogue with Muslims around the world based on mutual respect and in support of our mutual interests,” according to a key State Department official.
Russia Plays Up Its International Role – Especially in Mideast Peace
Russia is moving to reassert its role in the Middle East – and in particular in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process – as President Obama prepares to receive principal leaders in the conflict at the White House in the coming weeks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov chaired a special meeting Monday of the United Nations Security Council that endorsed the idea of holding a Middle East peace conference in Moscow this year.
Venezuela’s Chávez Threatens to Shut Down TV Station
President Hugo Chávez is threatening again to shut down Globovision, the sole television channel in Venezuela that regularly criticizes him — saying it had stirred panic for reporting an earthquake before the government announced it. "We're not going to tolerate a crazy man with a cannon shooting it at the whole world," Mr. Chávez said on his weekly television and radio show Sunday, referring to Alberto Ravell, the Globovision general manager.
Live, Interactive Conversation with UK Foreign Secretary and Blogger David Miliband
The British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who is a blogger and likely future Prime Minister (although I would not say that those characteristics are causally linked) will be at New America this morning at 11 A.M. for a live-broadcast roundtable discussion that I will moderate with new media journalists, a.k.a. bloggers. It’s a commendable effort by Miliband to normalize new-media engagements in his public diplomacy.
Tarabya to Welcome German Academy of Art
The German arts academy, planned to open in Istanbul, will be located in renovated buildings that are part of the huge complex of historical consulate buildings and summer residences owned by the German Embassy in Tarabya. A German art academy is planned in Istanbul’s Tarabya neighborhood for 2010 as part of a lineup of other cultural projects to intensify the intercultural dialogue and mark the close historical ties between Turkey and Germany.
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