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.
We, The Nation(s) Of India
There is a buzz about India becoming a superpower. But, are superpowers confused about national identity or inviting others to solve their civilisation’s “backwardness”? Does a superpower allow foreign nexuses to co-opt its citizens as agents? India graciously hosts foreign nexuses that treat it as a collection of disparate parts. Is super - powerdom delusionary? The Mumbai massacre painfully exposes flaws in our national character, the central one being the absence of a definitive, purpose-filled identity.
US Embassy invites young people to participate in cultural video contest
The US Department of State’s online video contest “My Culture + Your Culture = ? – Share your Story” is inviting people all over the world, ages 14 and older, to submit videos to address the theme of cultural sharing. Videos may contain any narrative or technical style, including documentary, fiction, live action, or animation, and also any form of artistic expression such as dance, spoken word, poetry, or song. Videos must be in English or have English subtitles and be no more than three minutes in length.
‘Hasbara’ lessons I learned from Al Jazeera
The country's latest public relations efforts are much improved from past wars, but a lot more can be done. Today, with the global reach of electronic and mass media, the court of world public opinion is no longer in the hands of decision-makers and opinion elites. Citizens in every country with a television set or Internet access are the ones deciding our future. Thomas Paine, the leading author and intellectual of the American Revolution, once said, "An army of principles will penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot."
The Shoe Heard ‘Round the World’
How will the Moslem world regard Barack Hussein Obama? His clear commitments stated today against the use of torture, and respect for the Geneva Convention, are tremendously helpful as a start toward repairing America’s image in the Middle East, but his studious avoidance of any comment until now on the latest episodes in the war between Israel and her Moslem neighbors reminds us that America’s attitude on the Arab-Israeli conflict is a kind of litmus test for both sides.
Anger Over Gaza Grows in Arab Street
As the war in Gaza burned through its 14th day, Arab governments have felt their legitimacy challenged with an uncommon virulence. With each passing day, and each Palestinian death, the popularity of Hamas and other radical movements has ratcheted higher on the Arab street, while the standing of Arab leaders has suffered.
“Sorry” Seems to Be the Hardest Word: Turkish elites agonize over apology campaign
For the past few weeks Turkey has been agonizing over an internet petition initiated by a group of Turkish intellectuals apologizing for the 1915 “Great Catastrophe” that befell the Armenian population in Anatolia. The campaign ignited a counter movement led by former Turkish ambassadors and a sharp rebuke by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Prime Minister said, “If there was a crime let those who committed it apologize.
Obama: The Great American Hope?
Optimism over our president-elect’s foreign policy derives from four rosy, unquestioned assumptions: 1) Most of the current Bush policies are not merely wrong, but inflammatory: ipsis factis being against them is wise and will bring dividends overseas; 2) Obama’s singular eloquence, youth, charisma, and “presence” will win over the world in the manner it swept the American electorate, providing a welcome change from the “smoke ’em out” Texas global turn-off of the past; 3) Obama’s exotic name, his multiracial background, the Muslim faith of his father, and his dalliance with hard-left polit
EU Diplomats: Egypt’s Refusal To Station Foreign Troops On Gaza Border Holding Up Truce
Egyptian efforts to broker a Gaza cease-fire appeared on Friday to have to run into trouble because of disagreements with Israel over how to secure the border to prevent Hamas from rearming, diplomats said. Israeli and European diplomats, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Egypt had objections to proposals for foreign forces deploying on the Egyptian side of its 15-km (9-mile) border with the Gaza Strip.
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