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.
For Many Expatriates, Olympics Signal China’s Arrival
As mainland Chinese greeted the Beijing Olympics with exuberant pride, so, too, have Chinese-Americans, who have often been divided over how to deal with the Communists or the future of Taiwan, but who share a sense that China has taken a long-awaited place on the world stage.
China Designates Special ‘Protest Zones’
For those who want to demonstrate but do not want to risk arrest and deportation, there is another, perfectly legal way to get heard at the Olympics - at three "designated protest zones" around the capital city. They are, however, a far cry from Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park. For one, they are tucked away in hard-to reach suburbs, seven miles from the main Olympic stadium. And for another, the rules on exactly who can demonstrate, and what they can demonstrate about, are as strict and complex as any in China's Byzantine bureaucracy.
Chinese Man ‘Kills American Tourist’
An American tourist was stabbed to death and another injured when a Chinese man attacked them at a monument in Beijing today as the first full day of the Olympic Games began.
BBC Chief Hails Beijing Olympics, More Open China
Mark Thompson, Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), praises here on Saturday the "exciting" opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics and a China increasingly open to the world.
Olympics Online, With a Hook
This month, Microsoft is offering Web surfers in the United States a seductive viewing treat. In conjunction with NBC, the software publisher is offering thousands of hours of free video direct from the Olympics in Beijing. For the first time, it will be possible to watch specific events on demand as well as to watch many of the less popular sporting events like cycling and race walking, which in the past have received scant attention in mainstream television coverage of the games. But there’s a catch.
Chinese Man Kills Relative of U.S. Olympic Coach
A Chinese man wielding a knife attacked an American couple related to a United States Olympic volleyball coach on Saturday, killing the man and wounding his wife and their Chinese guide atop an ancient tower in central Beijing.
Make Diplomacy, Not War
In short, the United States is hugely overinvesting in military tools and underinvesting in diplomatic tools. The result is a lopsided foreign policy that antagonizes the rest of the world and is ineffective in tackling many modern problems. After all, you can’t bomb global warming. Incredibly, the most eloquent spokesman for more balance between “hard power” and “soft power” is Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
China’s Medal Table Campaign Built on Sun Tzu’s Theory and Sports School
The hosts hope to outdo the Americans by training youngsters to succeed where the US are traditionally weak, says Jonathan Watts.
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