Pride, Prejudice and Public Opinion

Headlines this week in public diplomacy news showcased the role that public opinion can play in international politics. While some nations harnessed the power of free speech and public opinion to both change the discourse of and the relationship between cultures, communities and countries, other nations continued to stifle, strain and even undermine diplomatic relations. A Macedonian-born Roma created a TV program to “show the culture and traditions of his people, breaking down prejudices and promoting the true face of the Romas;" and Iran granted a reporter from a Jewish pro-Israel publication the first visa since the 1979 revolution. Meanwhile, India made plans to “celebrate the 50th anniversary of its ‘victory’ over Pakistan in the 1965 war” and Russia is seemingly throwing “sand into the eyes and into the gears of the international system.” 

• Are India's Plans to Celebrate 1965 War 'Victory' in 'Bad Taste'? BBC News
• Beijing Seeks Hearts and Minds with Tibetan Resettlements The Japan Times
• How Sharing Stories with Aboriginal Communities is Healing the Racial Divide Independent Australia
• Russian Bear Should Be More Cuddly, Less Snarly (Op-Ed) The Moscow Times
• Sutka City TV, the First Roma TV Channel in the World Cultural Diplomacy News
• What Do Iranians Think of Israel? Reporter for U.S. Jewish Paper Travels to the Source to Find Out Haaretz

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Photo by Paul Kohler via Flickr Creative Commons