Canada’s once-admired internationalist brand has been spoiled, mutating into a cross between warrior nation wannabe and fossil of the year.

The latest experiment at Canada’s foreign affairs ministry trades the dry language of diplomacy for the chatty tone of the social Web in a pair of “listicles” written on BuzzFeed.
 

The British Embassy in Cairo re-opened on Tuesday after suspending public services nine days ago for security reasons, the embassy said in a statement.

Today, a House Committee will hold a hearing on the subject, “Is Academic Freedom Threatened by China’s Influence on U.S. Universities?” China’s aggressive promotion of its primary public diplomacy program in North America has recently captured headlines as U.S. and Canadian academics have begun to push back against what is felt to be undue influence from Beijing.

Last Wednesday, Canada officially launched its national Twitter accounts in French and English as part of an integrated diplomacy strategy. (...) It wasn’t long before the first wave of criticism appeared. Not over anything related to international diplomacy. Rather — because this is Canada — the brouhaha was over language.

Canada’s foreign affairs department has launched a Twitter account for Canada. And it’s a big hit.

International health law experts say Canada’s move to stop issuing visas to people from the affected countries contravenes the International Health Regulations (IHR), a treaty Canada helped revise after the 2003 SARS outbreak. Earlier this week the WHO asked Canada for the scientific and public health rationale underpinning the decision.