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.

Diplomatic Crisis Management in the Digital Age

Once a crisis begins to unfold, confusion about the nature, severity, and possible implications of the event is the immediate consequence to affect both authorities and the public. Ironically, this outcome is not prompted by the shortage of information about what is going on, but rather by the abundance of reports on social media channels, most of them reflecting individual reactions to the event, often times with little factual evidence to support them.

Tags: Digital Diplomacy & New Technology, crisis management, social media, digital age, MFAs, embassies

Kandy in the Spotlight: Sri Lanka's Second City Sees a Tourist Boom

The cultural capital of Kandy – controversial location for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – survived Sri Lanka’s civil war relatively intact. Now it’s thriving, thanks in no small part to an infamous relic: one of the Buddha’s teeth.

Tags: nation branding, tourism, global cities, sri lanka, kandy, indiana jones, buddhist festival

Singapore Airlifts Humanitarian Aid to Strife-Torn Philippines

Singapore has shipped humanitarian aid to the Philippines as part of the understanding reached during Singapore Minister for Defense Ng Eng Hen's visit to Manila in July 2017. [...] Singapore has also offered to provide training for AFP troops, and a detachment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to enhance the AFP's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in conflict-prone areas of the Philippines.

Tags: foreign aid, singapore, philippines, humanitarian assistance, conflict management, disaster relief

Ancient Customs of the World to Debate in Bolivia 2018

Bolivia will host the 2nd Forum of Ancient Civilizations in 2018 with the objective of promoting the exchange of ancestral knowledge among several countries, announced local media. [...] The first edition of the event took place this year in Athens with the participation of heirs of great civilizations, among them, Bolivia, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Greece, Peru and Mexico.

Tags: soft power, nation branding, indigenous peoples, bolivia, ancient civilizations, ancestral knowledge

Changes at State Department Lead to Questions About Its Mission

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is defending his efforts to redesign the State Department, but the process has left many of its 36,000 employees in Washington and around the world feeling anxious about their mission. Tillerson was welcomed warmly to the State Department six months ago. But some current and former ambassadors and foreign policy experts say they are worried about a number of indications that the Trump administration plans to lower the priority of promoting democracy and human rights in U.S. foreign policy.

Tags: government pd, reorganization, u.s. department of state, state department, Rex Tillerson, united states

Diplomats Question Tactics of Tillerson, the Executive Turned Secretary of State

Several times a week the State Department sends a greeting to a foreign country on the occasion of its national day. By tradition, the salutations have been written by low-level diplomats and routinely approved by their superiors. But not anymore. Now the messages go through Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson’s office, where his top assistants insist on vetting them, and where they often sit for weeks before coming back with extensive editing changes, according to several department officials.

Tags: government pd, state department, u.s. department of state, Rex Tillerson, reorganization, united states

The Great Communicator

By insisting on a pro-Kremlin agenda, and trying in vain to halt all inquiries into the Russian meddling in the election that brought him to power, Trump undermines his own political position, inviting further investigation of his financial dealings and opening the possibility of charges of obstruction of justice. Not a good time for policy, or those trying to communicate it.

Tags: government pd, russia, united states, ukraine, Donald Trump, bilateral relations, propaganda

Vietnam’s Signature Nem Introduced at Food Festival in Indonesia

he Embassy of Vietnam in Indonesia introduced the country’s signature Nem (spring roll) at the ASEAN cuisine festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 5. [...] The ASEAN nations have rich culture and cuisine, he said, adding that promotion of food identity of each nation is a diplomatic channel.

Tags: gastrodiplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy, vietnam, indonesia, nem, diplomatic cables

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