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.
An Open Court System? Tell it to the Judges
Ten judges from Kazakhstan are visiting St. Louis as part of a program developed by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program is designed "to promote public diplomacy through exchanges of cultural ideas and values." I was invited to speak to the group. I was supposed to discuss the relationship between the press and the courts.
Russia-U.S. Ties Have Tentative Start
The "reset" button was pushed two months ago on U.S.-Russia ties but results so far have been mixed, with arms control the most promising area but gnarly issues such as Georgia tensions still lingering. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to see Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Washington on Thursday, their second major meeting since ice-breaking talks in Geneva in March when they symbolically pressed a reset button to turn a page on caustic relations under the former Bush administration.
Myanmar: Where Journalism is a Living Hell
It is Southeast Asia’s largest country in terms of land area, yet there is reason why Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is unfamiliar to many people, even within the region. For one, it has been isolated for the last few decades as a result of both Burmese and international actions. For another, press freedom is unknown in Myanmar, meaning accurate and up-to-date information is hard to find—and report—even within the country itself.
World’s Largest Humanitarian Network Launches Ambitious New Campaign
The "Our world. Your move." initiative coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Solferino, in Italy, which led to the creation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, as well as the 90th anniversary of the IFRC and the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Millions of campaign enthusiasts in more than 80 countries are expected to turn out to celebrate its launch on 8 May, which is also recognized as World Red Cross Red Crescent Day.
Changing the Arab Gulf, Verse by Verse
Three years ago, when I devised the format for the latest media craze in the Gulf, Millions’ Poet, it was with little more in mind than creating an entertaining and original youth-focused television show. Now in its third season and with more than 15 million viewers each week, the show has become the most prestigious poetry competition in the Arab Gulf and a platform for young male and female poets to voice their thoughts before a wide audience. Most unexpectedly, it has also helped change regional attitudes toward women.
YouTube completes a year of being blocked in Turkey
Reporters Without Borders condemns the fact the video-sharing website YouTube has been inaccessible in Turkey for the past 12 months. Access has not been restored since it was blocked exactly one year ago today as a result of three orders issued by Ankara magistrate courts without any specific reason being given.
Lugar to the Rescue: Senate Committee Backs ‘Science Envoy’ Plan
While other areas of government have something to show for the first one-hundred days of the Obama administration, formal public diplomacy initiatives have been hard to find.
A Starbucks State of Mind
The brand might be out of fashion in the States; But here in Central Europe, the arrival of Starbucks has been greeted with undiluted enthusiasm -- so much enthusiasm, in fact, that the phenomenon seems to require further explanation.
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