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.

Baghdad’s Ice Cream Diplomacy

Call it market forces trumping politics, or call it ice-cream diplomacy. In a country whose many divisions include those who believe America has ruined Iraq versus those who believe Iran has, the new fast food restaurant brought in companies from both.

Tags: baghdad, ice cream diplomacy, economic agreements, united states, iran

North Korea's Sprawling African Diplomacy Makes Hermit Kingdom an Influencer, Not a Pariah

The government of North Korea has rightfully gained a reputation in the West for isolation and obstinacy, but its diplomatic ventures in Africa have poised it to be significantly more influential on that continent than potentially anywhere else. 

Tags: north korea, africa, government public diplomacy, soft power, exchanges, uganda, nigeria, ethiopia, guinea, angola

Missing the Boat to China

Touring Swan Lake in China is not the kind of cultural diplomacy that will help Australia gain a foothold in Asia.[...] The arts sector must engage with Asia and other parts of the world on cultural terms.  

Tags: australia, china, Cultural Diplomacy, ballet, ozasia festival, art diplomacy

Star Chef Rick Moonen: Healthy, Safe, Sufficient Food and Respecting Planet Earth

Initiated by the U.S. Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall and blessed by her boss, (then) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership was created to “elevate the role of culinary engagement in America’s formal and public diplomacy efforts,” as their mission statement says.

Tags: united states, 2015 Expo Milano, gastrodiplomacy, food security, food security and sustainability

Update in Luxembourg's Nation Branding

What is the brand Luxembourg? This has been the question of a nation branding process lauched last year, with the first official results presented Thursday seeing the country described as reliable, dynamic and open, as well as a partner and builder of bridges.

Tags: luxembourg, nation branding, economy, trade

Highland Park's Sister Cities Program Wins Top Honor

For more than a dozen years, Highland Park residents Carol and Rick Wolfe have been practicing the kind of people-to-people diplomacy that former President Dwight Eisenhower had in mind when he launched the Sister City movement in the 1950s. [...] The foundation has won the 2015 Best Overall Program award in its size category from Sister Cities International. 

Tags: sister cities, united states, people to people diplomacy, cultural exchange, mexico, israel, italy

U.K. Ranks Top in Soft Power

The UK has come first in the soft power index, a global ranking of the 30 countries with the most soft power, based on the strength of nations’ so called soft power resources Soft power is a form of global power that shuns traditional foreign policy carrot and stick methods.

Tags: soft power, united kingdom, soft power index

Second Stage of Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Reform Starts

This second stage of reform includes a reboot of the priorities of the ministry and its personnel, the implementation of modern approaches to personnel management, improvement of consulates' work, and the adoption of a new edition of the law on diplomatic service. In addition, Betsa said that the ministry had announced the launch of a new focus public diplomacy, with cultural diplomacy included.

Tags: ukraine, public diplomacy, diplomacy

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