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.
In Denver, Making Room for Moscow
America's relationship with Russia has come to dominate the foreign-policy debate at the Democratic National Convention...It is through the prism of a flagging, halfhearted effort in Afghanistan that many Democrats now view the homeland security and public diplomacy issues stemming from the 9/11 attacks.
The Biden Factor in US-Iran Relations
Senator Barack Obama's choice of Senator Joseph Biden as his running mate for the Democratic ticket for the US presidency is a good omen for troubled US-Iran relations and will likely translate into positive developments on that front in the event Obama moves into the White House.
Olympic Metal Counts and Economics
Before the Beijing 2008 Games, some economists said they could use economic statistics to predict how well a country would do at the Olympics. Bloomberg has lined up data showing each nation's share of global domestic product, compared with that nation's medal count. By this measure, the U.S. certainly punched beneath its weight at the Olympics, while China was pretty much in line with expectations.
Olympics Reveal East-West Divide
In 1889 British author Rudyard Kipling intoned, "Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet/Till Earth and Sky stand present at God's great Judgment Seat." Do this month's games falsify or affirm Kipling's geocultural assessment? As someone who has attended and studied several games and gained backstage access to Olympic officials, the recent events in Beijing confirmed the verity of Kipling's verse.
Rio Tinto Expects Post-Olympic Chinese Boom
Tom Albanese, chief executive of Rio Tinto, said: “We do not see a country-wide slowdown and expect the Chinese economy to pick up post-Olympics.”
Will China Nurse an ‘Olympics Hangover’?
Virtually every country that has hosted an Olympics since the Second World War has seen its GDP growth fall in the year following the quadrennial event. This year too, as China’s economy shows signs of slowing down in response to a sharp slowdown in its principal export markets - the US and Europe - it appears that the ‘Olympics curse’ on the host nations will come true.
First Muslim Congressman Excels in Foreign Outreach
Ellison's dovish foreign policy is just about the opposite of the Bush administration's, yet he has teamed up with the State Department on public diplomacy to tout what he calls "core" American values of democracy and human rights. He has done events with U.S. embassies overseas and speaks to visiting groups in Washington arranged by the State Department, such as a delegation of French Muslims last month.
Olympic Torch Out; PetroChina Left With Pools Of Oil
China stepped up refined oil shipments from abroad in May to bolster its stockpile for the Olympics, which ended Aug. 24, and in the process became a net gasoline/diesel importer for the first time. This importing spree is likely to end in the fall, as the close of the Summer Games spells surplus inventories of gasoline and diesel. A slackening of demand in the world’s second-biggest oil consumer may help ease upward pressure on global oil prices.
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