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.

What If You Were a Refugee?

International Medical Corps, established in 1984, and where I currently work, is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through health care training and relief. In order to spread awareness about the Syrian refugee crisis, International Medical Corps went one step further by using visual storytelling to provide a voice for refugees. “The Things We Carry” campaign, launched in March 2017 by International Medical Corps and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is an effort to keep public attention on the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Tags: Digital Diplomacy & New Technology, digital media, digital storytelling, social media, health diplomacy, syria, international medical corps, the things we carry

Indonesia Digitalizing Annual Bali Cultural Event

Indonesia is promoting the annual Bali Arts Festival (PKB) by digitalizing its month-long activities and broadcasting live on particular website as well as in various social media channels. The breakthrough move came at the request of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who wanted to make people across the world know more about the festival, a senior official overseeing the Bali provincial tourism said.

Tags: Digital Diplomacy & New Technology, international broadcasting, social media diplomacy, social media, tourism diplomacy, tourism, bali, indonesia, bali arts festival

Columbia Museum Event Opens Dialogue About Islamic Religion

As Imam Omar Shaheed looked out at the 150 people who packed the Columbia Museum of Art’s auditorium Sunday night, he was struck by one thing. “We’re all different religions, but we have a humanity,” he said. “That’s really standing out.” Shaheed, imam at Masjid as-Salaam in Columbia, was part of the panel at “Dinner and Dialogue: Understanding Islam.” The discussion that was part of the event answered questions about the tenets of Islam, the most common misconceptions about the religion and the similarities between Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Tags: faith diplomacy, interfaith diplomacy, religious diplomacy, cross-cultural dialogue, interfaith dialogue, islam, anti-islamophobia, u.s.

Reserve Marines, Royal Commandos Build Cultural Bridge

With a partnership between the U.S. and U.K. that dates back to the 1980s, Red Dagger 17, now in its fourth consecutive year, intends to further share and strengthen knowledge and skills in military engineering between the Marine Corps and its allies. “We have been treated as equals and with great respect,” said Capt. Marcelo A. Garcia, the company commander of 6th ESB, 4th MLG, MARFORRES. “The 131 Commando Squadron often asks for feedback and have insisted that this exercise is meant to be a sharing of best practices, both in tactics and planning.”

Tags: military diplomacy, military cooperation, military exchange, cultural bridge, u.s., united kingdom, marine corps, royal commandos, red dagger 17

How To Be a Diplomat: If You Can’t Follow, You Will Never Lead

Zhou Enlai was foreign minister of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 until 1958 and its first premier. He defined diplomacy as a continuation of warfare by other means. In the contemporary world, that definition includes an understanding of the concepts of hard and soft power. Joseph Nye developed the idea of soft power as the ability to attract and persuade rather than applying economic, military and political hard power.

Tags: history & theory, smart & soft power, people's republic of china, hard power, alternative diplomacy

Iran Sends Food to Qatar Amid Diplomatic Crisis

Iran has sent planes full of food to Qatar and will continue to send more each day as the blockaded nation weathers its diplomatic crisis, Iranian officials said this weekend. Tehran says it will send another 100 tons of fruit and vegetables every day to Qatar, which relies on imports from neighboring countries for much of its food supplies and is facing shortages after its powerful neighboring countries cut off economic and diplomatic ties. 

Tags: government pd, iran, qatar, foreign aid, humanitarian aid, humanitarian assistance, Diplomatic Controversy

Co-ops Included In The EU’s New Strategy On European Development

EU member states have signed a joint strategy for the future of European development which includes several mentions of the co-operative movement. The new European Consensus on Development, which sets out an agenda to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable development, applies to all EU institutions and member states. In its three mentions of co-operatives, the document highlights their role as key actors in international development and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Tags: non-state pd, sustainable development goals, european union, poverty eradication, international development, ngo

Sustainable Tourism for Development

The United Nations General Assembly designated 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. In line with the global designation, Zimbabwe launched last week, the Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development under the theme, “Travel, Enjoy and Respect”. It is my sincere hope that this launch, albeit done mid-year, should be used as a way of bringing all stakeholders to exchange ideas to foster sound partnership to advance tourism for sustainable development and poverty eradication in Zimbabwe.

Tags: sustainable tourism, united nations general assembly, africa, international development, zimbabwe, non-state pd

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