“A Handbook on Philippine Public Diplomacy” is a compilation of articles written by active public diplomacy practitioners. As a pioneering work, the articles contain first-hand records of experiences in handling various issues in which Philippine diplomats needed to apply public diplomacy skills learned on the ground, such as in nation branding, online engagement, Filipino community relations abroad, and crisis management.

The reputation of a country is comparable to the brand images of companies and products and it’s very essential for its progress and prosperity. The need to understand and embrace nation branding is therefore very critical. Subsequently, managing a country brand is about national, regional and international identity and the politics and economics of competitiveness. But what happens when a nation brand goes through a crisis?

More than 100 Islamic prayer-leaders from various denominations of Sunni and Shiite Muslims have signed a letter calling on British Muslims not to travel to Iraq or Syria to fight.  Security services say the influx of Western Muslims to Syria creates a threat to the West, when radicalized fighters return home from fighting in the region.

The “earthquake diplomacy” that sprang out of the ruins of the Istanbul and Athens earthquakes in 1999 was perfect proof for the effectiveness of public diplomacy... Since then, Greece and Turkey have enjoyed the longest period of peace in their history, having developed multiple channels of communication outside the continuing political dystopia.

Syria has told Russia that a mortar attack that killed five civilians across the border in Turkey was a "tragic accident" that will not be repeated, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Thursday. RIA Novosti news agency said Lavrov had also told reporters during a visit to Islamabad that Russia had urged Syria to acknowledge this in public.

The International Criminal Court has launched a new civic education programme on its operations, targeting areas that were heavily affected by the 2007/08 post election violence. The court's field outreach coordinator in Kenya Maria Kamara said the new initiative is aimed at providing accurate information about the ICC to communities in areas hit by the violence.

Buoyed by its massive foreign exchange reserve, China has spent billions of dollars to boost its soft power. Direct Chinese television broadcasts and Confucius Institutes around the world are aimed at winning the world’s respect. But a series of political scandals showing a total lack of regard for China’s rule of law have punctured claims about the Chinese system’s superiority.