Expo 2010 Shanghai

As of today (June 11), there have been 12,718,400 visitors to the Shanghai Expo since it opened on May 1, 2010. That means that the anticipated projection of 70 million visitors may well be surpassed by the time the Expo closes in October. With this unprecedented opportunity to communicate various national identities to the world, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy’s research team in Shanghai launched CPD Video Conversations: Nation Branding at Expo 2010 Shanghai, a video blog which will feature nation branding efforts of various countries at the World Expo. From June through August, the team will explore how nation-states define, communicate and manage their identity and image through national pavilions.

This roundup features articles on the Shanghai Expo—from an in-depth exposé by Neal Rosendorf to Peter Winter’s snapshot from inside the much maligned USA Pavilion. Cesar Corona offers a historical context to the Expo while Jian (Jay) Wang and Cynthia Schneider tackle the impact and relevance of the Expo from various perspectives. You'll also find a brief round up of PDiN headlines about the Gaza Flotilla and a CPD book review by Joshua Saidoff of a new publication on US Public Diplomacy.