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.
UAE Ranks As World’s Top for Providing Foreign Aid
The UAE ranked as the world’s largest donor of foreign aid in 2014, proportionately to its national income according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Can ‘Speedo Diplomacy’ Save One of The World's Last Pristine Oceans?
Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh believes he can break the political deadlock that has stymied the protection of the Southern Ocean after completing a series of epic swims off the coast of Antarctica. But Pugh says by stripping down to his swimming trunks and confronting the extremes of human endurance he has captured the imagination of Russia’s people and its politicians, opening up a dialogue that could pave the way for the largest ocean sanctuary on Earth. It’s what he calls ‘Speedo diplomacy’.
Europe Revives Diplomacy to Rescue Faltering Ukraine Peace
European powers struggling to hold together a stalled Ukrainian peace accord will resume talks with Russia and Ukraine in Germany next week as efforts shift from the battlefield to solving political disputes. European Union leaders say easing economic sanctions on Russia requires full compliance with the agreement negotiated in Belarus in February.
Is Trevor Noah Really Proof of US Comedy's Soft Power?
There’s a vintage example of American exceptionalism in the Financial Times this week, by the paper’s US editor Gary Silverman. The article is about the appointment of Trevor Noah to the vacant Jon Stewart berth on The Daily Show. But Noah’s controversial Twitter history isn’t what concerns Silverman. Instead, he sees Noah’s career arc – growing up bi-racial in Soweto, where “my existence itself was a crime”, emigrating to America, working his way up in short order to the most prestigious satire gig in the country – as a classic tale of “American soft power”.
Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Blasts Terms of Nuclear Framework Deal
Just a week after agreeing on a framework for a nuclear deal, Iran’s supreme leader and the Obama administration clashed over its core elements, rekindling doubts about whether Washington and Tehran can finalize an accord by a June 30 deadline. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his first public comments on the diplomacy, said on Thursday the U.S. and its negotiating partners must lift all sanctions on his country immediately upon a final deal being signed.
The Only Cure for Libya is Diplomacy, Military Restraint and Patience
The examples of Iraq and Syria, not to mention NATO’s 2011 campaign in Libya, should be enough to make us stop and think. Bombardment alone cannot replace a political strategy, even if in Libya - a country with Sunni majority - ISIS cannot feed off the same sectarian claims that helped it in Iraq and Syria.
Obama, Raul Castro Hold Phone Conversation Ahead of Panama Summit
The presidents of the United States and Cuba have spoken by phone for only the second time in more than 50 years, setting the stage for a historic encounter between the two leaders at a regional summit starting Friday in Panama. The extraordinary, late-night call between President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro came shortly after both leaders arrived in Panama City for the Summit of the Americas, which begins on Friday.
Incoming International Students Add to China’s Soft Power
Surpassing France, China has become the third largest destination for international students in 2014. According to the latest figures from the Chinese Ministry of Education, there are over 337,000 international students studying in the mainland, which account for 8 percent of all international students across the world.
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