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.
Russian Language Returns to Georgia
Free Russian language courses organized by the Russian-Georgian community center, together with the Russian Foundation for Public Diplomacy named after Gorchakov, began being held in Tbilisi.
'Cold War Modernists: Art, Literature, & American Cultural Diplomacy': The Arsenal of Ideas
Duquesne University professor Greg Barnhisel skillfully shows how modernist art and literature was used to influence the Cold War game.
AIIB: China Outsmarts US Diplomacy on Asia Bank
China's new Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a very big deal for Asia's economic future, but the way its establishment has played out makes it an even bigger deal for Asia's changing political and strategic order. And Canberra's announcement last weekend that Australia will join the AIIB despite the objections of the United States may come to be seen as marking a historic shift in Australian foreign policy.
‘Propaganda’: Chinese-Funded Mandarin Lessons in UK Schools ‘Whitewash’ Human Rights
The Chinese government provides hundreds of thousands of pounds and more than 90 teachers to schools across the UK as part of a Chinese-language teaching project. An investigation by campaign group Free Tibet found that British educational institutions are hosting so-called Confucius Classrooms without prior discussion of their content. Critics argue the language classes present students with a “whitewashed” view of China’s government and human rights record.
How Lawmakers can Leverage the Persian New Year
As the March 31st deadline to reach a political framework agreement between the P5+1 (United States, United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany) and Iran fast approaches, Congress is considering a number of initiatives dealing with Iran’s nuclear program. Whether or not there is an agreement with Iran, the issue is bound to be a significant focal point in U.S.-Iran relations for the foreseeable future.
Japan Gets Word Out With Books in English
Japan’s government is paying to have Japanese-language nonfiction books translated into English, with the first works to be produced under the program arriving in American libraries this month. The move is one of several nontraditional public-relations steps by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration, which is trying to enhance Japan’s profile among U.S. opinion leaders and the general public as it engages in a public relations battle with China and South Korea.
Australia To Join China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Just a few days shy of China’s end-of-March deadline for founding membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Australia confirmed that it will join the AIIB. Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s government announced over the weekend that it had chosen to sign on to join the bank as a founding member, becoming the latest U.S.-allied state to join an institution that some in the United States see as a competitor to U.S.-led international financial institutions, like the World Bank.
Diplomatic Access: South Korea
In this interview, His Excellency Ahn Ho-Young, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the U.S., outlines South Korea’s concerns about and hopes for the Asia-Pacific region, including the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
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