middle east

July 11, 2011

Canadian media mogul Sidney Greenberg has set his sights on using sports as public diplomacy for Israel. Today, he is the financial force behind the Canada-Israel Hockey School in Metulla, which grew from a struggling program at the rink with 30 local participants, to a flourishing after-school program for 300 Druse and Israeli students across the Golan.

Cairo’s Tahrir Square is beginning to look and feel like it did last winter when hundreds of thousands of Egyptians protested, camped and fought for 18 days to topple President Hosni Mubarak. Activists have returned to the now-fabled square with banners and anthems in hopes of reigniting the passions of a revolution that stunned the Arab world.

The Chief Rabbi has called for the creation of a new think tank with a dream team of intellectuals including writers Amos Oz and David Grossman to develop an Israel advocacy, based on thought, not just public relations.

n the immediate aftermath of the IDF’s takeover of the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara during last year’s pro-Hamas flotilla to Gaza, Israel’s greatest public diplomacy victory came in the form of a private initiative by Latma... a satirical media criticism website...

In the 21st century, the democratization and diffusion of information is dissolving traditional barriers to power. People in every part of the world are clamoring to be heard and demanding a role in shaping their own future. This change is irreversible, unstoppable, and eminently desirable.

The website is powered by Like For Israel, an online social media initiative formally launched just two weeks ago..A pilot project, Like For Israel is designed to be a tool for pro-Israel activists around the world, regardless of political views...

PD Magazine announces the launch of the Summer 2011 issue: "International Broadcasting." This summer's issue focused on the role of international broadcasting in public diplomacy.

It is convenient to represent cultures as monolithic entities especially if they are to be seen as a threat to “our” way of life. It is clear from the poetry, music and voices in general that the Arab culture is not such an entity. In this age of musical and political cosmopolitanism, as opposed to alienating exclusivism or anything-goes pluralism, I hope for a celebration of every viable strand in our tapestry.

Pages