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.
Dual-pronged Diplomacy to Raise International Standing
Viet Nam was about to launch a dual diplomatic strategy – State-to-State diplomacy with person-to-person diplomacy – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem told the Vietnam News Agency. The key measure was intended to increase Viet Nam’s international prestige while simultaneously developing a comprehensive political, economic and cultural approach to diplomacy, he said. It would also help tackle the recession and maintain economic growth while ensuring social security for national construction and defence.
Now is the Time
Everyone expected the German World Cup to be efficient. It was almost a given. But where Germany was particularly successful was in changing the world's perception of Germans from being cold, efficient, humourless to being warm, fun and friendly. All in a month. By the same token, I think that foreigners expect the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to be warm, vibrant and African but not efficient and slick. It is in delivering a world-class World Cup that we will blow the world away. But like in Germany, the whole nation needs to get actively behind the tournament.
Vlad the Producer: Putin Scorns Soft Power; Uses Russian Film Industry for Domestic Propaganda
Vladimir Putin is obsessed with cinema’s potential to sway hearts and minds. Over the past several years, Russia’s paramount leader has been tightening the screws on his country’s film industry. What is most remarkable about Putin’s move is not his power grab per se, Radio Free Europe’s anxiety-laden reportage in late December notwithstanding. As an instinctive autocrat in a country with a notorious history of state control of cinema, the logic of his strategy is straightforward. Rather, what is noteworthy and disquieting is the goal of his strategy.
President Lauds Yo-Yo Ma’s ‘Soft Power’
President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday encouraged visiting Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma to exert "soft power" to help mitigate world conflicts, during an informal meeting held at the historic Lin Family Mansion and Garden in Banciao, Taipei County.
What Kind of Cultural Leader Will Obama Be?
Under Hillary Clinton, the State Department is expected to dust off the arsenal of “soft” statecraft to burnish America’s image in the world. Sponsorship for cultural and educational exchanges, exhibitions and festivals, heritage and preservation could uncork funds for the visual arts. Questions abound: would Secretary Clinton recreate the United States Information Agency (which her husband’s administration merged into State)? Would public diplomacy initiatives range beyond hot zones like the Middle East?
Should Obama Learn to Engage the Chinese People through the Internet?
The Chinese government will have greater incentive to work with you on creative solutions to complex problems if your diplomats can do a better job of reassuring ordinary Chinese that you do actually care whether U.S.-China policy outcomes will benefit them — not just China’s commercial and political elites. Right now, frankly, they’re not convinced. One-way monologues through the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia don’t have much street cred with China’s Internet generation, to be honest. It’s time to upgrade your public diplomacy strategy for the 21st Century.
Russia and Cuba Sign Strategic Partnership
The presidents of Russia and Cuba signed a strategic partnership and several other documents Friday aimed at rekindling their faded Cold War alliance, pledging to expand cooperation in agriculture, manufacturing, science and tourism but studiously avoiding a public discussion of military ties.
Arab Media Build Bridges to the West
The new Arab media are not only changing how Arabs are perceived abroad, they are also changing the face of journalism, a Middle Eastern media analyst said. Arab broadcasts once relied on western media for news of the Arab world, but no more, said Adel Iskandar, co-author of Al-Jazeera: How the Free Arab News Network Scooped the World and Changed the Middle East.
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