peacekeeping

Justin Trudeau will address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, delivering his maiden speech as Canadian prime minister at the high-level diplomatic forum that had an acrimonious relationship with this country's previous government.[...] "With Trudeau, they're trying to re-engage," [...] "They're saying Canada is back in the world."

As research fellow at Het Nieuwe Instituut, Shoshan has focused on the progressive way that the Netherlands contributes to UN peacekeeping missions.  [...] By linking cultural research to architectural research, the Dutch submission to Venice aims to make visible the spatial challenges and opportunities of this complex situation.

China’s approach to winning friends around the world has long been characterised as cheque-book diplomacy, with big events overseas invariably accompanied by top-dollar deals. But President Xi Jinping’s ongoing visit to Africa seems to point to a shift, with China more concerned about politics than pure economics.

2014 a banner year for Pope Francis.

Highlights of Pope Francis’s bold moves in 2014 and their public diplomacy implications.

Militaries around the world are increasingly tasked with complex humanitarian missions that extend beyond their traditional role. Such missions include development, diplomacy, stability, and peacekeeping operations, and often entail long-term engagements with civilian populations in conflict or disaster zones.

Humanitarian mission gift - picture from US Army Flickr account

Robert Albro, Assistant Professor at American University, and Bill Ivey, Principal in Global Cultural Strategies, have just edited a book titled Cultural Awareness in the Military (November: Palgrave Macmillan) which discusses the developments and implications for future humanitarian cooperation that involve military forces.

Given the recent stories about Japan’s turn to nationalism, it is sometimes easy to forget how much Japan is influenced by pacifist sentiments. Indeed, even nationalists such as Abe Shinzo have found it necessary to dress up their policies in the language of pacifism. Thus, it is not surprising that Japan’s first National Security Strategy talks of a more “proactive contribution to peace.”

Pages