listening

September 11, 2015

This week’s public diplomacy news headlines showcased the role of soft power in seducing global publics. 

Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen said Friday that he intends to reopen political dialogue with Russia, amid growing estrangement between Moscow and the E.U. Jensen said that despite rising tensions, dealing with Russia was a diplomatic necessity. “Even though Russia is a major threat, we can’t find a crane large enough to move it. Russia is situated geographically where it is and that means that we need to deal with it,” he said.

Using a project in central Australian Aboriginal communities as an example, Pamela Nathan shows that sharing stories and acknowledging the humanity and inhumanity on both sides of the racial divide helps towards true reconciliation.

Rabbi Hits Road to Heal Jewish-Muslim Relations in France

How a rabbi hit the road with an imam to promote Jewish-Muslim friendship in France.

Ken Taylor, the former Canadian ambassador for Iran and centre of the so-called Canadian caper in 1979, gave a speech to the school’s graduating class at the Jubilee Auditorium last week. Born in Calgary, Taylor graduated from Crescent Heights in the 1950s. He played basketball and football for the school (“I wasn’t drafted,” he jokes) but yearned to travel the world. He got his wish, embarking on a globe-trotting career in the foreign service.

This article unpacks the impact and efficacy of the Jean Monnet Programme, an EU education diplomacy initiative in China, and in turn, evaluates its merits as a “toolbox of EU public diplomacy.”

President Obama could take a lesson in Congressional relations from his own top diplomat. Samantha Power, now a year on the job as the US ambassador to the United Nations, says she’s learned the value of investing in relationships with her counterparts from around the world. 

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