PD News Highlights for 2017

This Year in PD brings you top English language news stories for 2017 from around the world in the fields of international advocacy, economic diplomacy, foreign aid and more. Included in this roundup are articles on topics ranging from Ireland's surgeon-training program in East Africa to the impact of Russian disinformation on the United States political system and international image:

China’s New Silk Road

President Xi Jinping laid the foundation for China's One Belt and One Road Initiative by deploying cultural and economic diplomacy initiatives around the world. 

• China’s Big Bet on Soft Power - Council on Foreign Relations
• Is China Becoming the World's Most Likeable Superpower? - The Atlantic
• Sino-Thai Railway and Relations - IPP Review

Refugee & Immigration Advocacy

Non-state actors developed public diplomacy campaigns to challenge immigration and refugee bans as a means to advocate for human rights. 

• 'Sanctuary City ' Mayors Vow to Defy Trump's Immigration Order - The New York Times
• Starbucks Says It Will Hire 10,000 Refugees Worldwide in Next Five Years - NPR
• Trump's Immigration Ban: Will It Undercut American Soft Power? - The Conversation 

Countering Russian Disinformation 

With the 2016 U.S. presidential election under scrutiny for possible Russian interference and increasing influence in developing nations, Russian propaganda was a ubiquitous news theme. 

• Disinformation Campaigns Target Tech-Enabled Citizen Journalists - Brookings
• Russian Disinformation and U.S. Public Diplomacy - CPD Blog
• What Hillary Knew About the Russian Propaganda Machine - Politico

Hurricane & Earthquake Aid Diplomacy 

This year saw a significant number of natural disasters worldwide, and in response a number of countries pitched in and demonstrated support through aid diplomacy. 

Japanese Soft Power 

In 2017, Japan ranked sixth in The Soft Power 30, and continued to advance its soft power prestige through a number of cultural diplomacy endeavors. 

Rohingya Aid 

As the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar sought refuge from the Burmese military, several countries stepped up through aid and development diplomacy, while citizens used digital diplomacy to reach a global audience. 

• ​Rohingya Crisis: How Social Media Adds Fuel to the Flame - Asian Correspondent
• Aid Groups Call for Access to Myanmar Conflict Zone - Reuters 
• Local Youths Find Rare Employment in Rohingya Camps - Dhaka Tribune

The Fight for American Public Diplomacy

With a new U.S. administration and budget cuts to the State Department, many people wrote about the value of keeping American public diplomacy alive and strong. 

• American's Public Diplomacy Is Our Country's Best Foreign Policy Tool - The Hill
• Valuing Public Diplomacy - CPD Blog
• Why Tillerson Needs the Media - Politico Magazine

Innovation & Collaboration in African Development 

Many African nations worked with different countries and companies on sustainability strategies aiming to accelerate development. 

CPD's PD News team produced This Year in PD by culling our regular news roundups: This Week in PD. The weekly curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news is collected from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned and state-sponsored sources.

Follow #TWiPD on Twitter Friday-Sunday for featured articles.

Images are courtesy of: Pixabay (Refugee and Immigration Advocacy, Countering Russian Disinformation, Hurricane & Earthquake Diplomacy), Flickr Creative Commons (Rohingya Aid-News Measurement Network Live, The Fight For American Public Diplomacy-U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, Innovation & Collaboration in African Development-MEAACT Kenya) and Pexels (China's New Silk Road, Japanese Soft Power).