The Islamic State's media and propaganda division, famous for its internet presence, launched a groundbreaking new endeavor on Sunday in the form of a satellite television station broadcasting to Mosul, Iraq.

Tags: isis, propaganda, media, international broadcasting, non state pd, iraq, middle east, technology, television

Major Lazer will become the first major US act to play Cuba since the two countries began restoring frozen relations in July 2015. The DJ group will play a free show in Havana on 6 March, in front of the US Embassy.

Tags: major lazer, united states, cuba, Cultural Diplomacy, non state pd, diplomatic relations, havana, music, culture

Dealing with Pakistan is one of the most formidable challenges that has confronted Indian administrations over the last 30 years. For the governments led by both Atal Behari Vajpayee and his successor Manmohan Singh, relations with Pakistan were the most insoluble conundrum they encountered.

Tags: india, pakistan, bilateral relations, economic ties, government pd, Modi, sharif, new delhi, Lahore, security

From the start, people at the Al Jazeera America cable-news network knew they faced an uphill battle for ratings and acceptance. It wasn’t just that they were taking on entrenched competitors such as CNN and Fox News with an unfamiliar, foreign brand name. Insiders knew that it would take ample distribution, lots of promotion, and audience goodwill to establish a foothold. On Wednesday, Al Jazeera America’s owners acknowledged they had achieved none of those things.

Tags: international broadcasting, al jazeera, al jazeera america, united states

People start bands for all kinds of reasons, but most of those reasons fall under the general heading of “I have musical desire/skill/wherewithal and time to kill/a rehearsal space/likeminded friends.” Such reasoning generally does not include considering what music the world needs to hear, and tends to be focused squarely on more self-serving considerations.

Tags: pink martini, united states, Cultural Diplomacy, music diplomacy, culture, entertainment industry, advocacy, jazz, non state pd

The cultural dimension of Turkish-Iranian relations and the scope of Turkey's soft power were discussed at a seminar jointly organized by the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) and the Tehran branch of the Yunus Emre Institute over the weekend in the Iranian capital of Tehran. 

Tags: iran, turkey, Cultural Diplomacy, public opinion, smart & soft power, bilateral relations, middle east, orsam, tehran, culture, economic ties, education, religion

A South Korean civic group said Tuesday it has opened a new Internet site on how to groom civilians, especially young students, to widen their reach on and awareness of social networking services, as part of its push for digital diplomacy.

Tags: digital diplomacy & new tech, non state pd, south korea, vank, education, digital platforms, social media, advocacy, history, culture

In new photographs, the American artist Taryn Simon captures a different kind of flower power: bouquets that sat on the tables where world leaders were brokering deals. [...] Simon imported four thousand botanical specimens from the world’s largest flower market, in the Netherlands, and created three dozen still-lifes, evoking diplomatic accords made between 1968 and 2014.

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, nation branding, international advocacy, international broadcasting