public diplomacy
What Nike and Ralph Lauren don’t do is make their own products in the U.S. or elsewhere – and this has become their competitive advantage...So let’s stop whining about a few “made in China” tags and start cheering for all of the great athletic performances made possible by superior U.S. innovation.
The Foreign Ministry is taking steps to expand its online presence, with plans to open a Facebook account and increase the number of its Twitter feeds. The Foreign Ministry's move to attract online followers comes after President Vladimir Putin met last week with top diplomats and called on them to take up new approaches to transmit the government's message. "
As all eyes turn to London in the coming weeks for the Olympics, a pageantry of cultural symbolism will be on display. Sometimes the most important messages in public diplomacy are the unspoken, symbolic ones. Anthropologist Edward T. Hall called it looking for the “eloquent cues.”
London may be the focus of public diplomacy attention and reap the greatest benefit; however, all countries are likely to seize and squeeze what public diplomacy mileage they can when the international spotlight shines in their direction. When you watch, watch for the cultural cues.
The Sydney International Food Festival (SIFF) is a huge month-long celebration in October showcasing hundreds of top chefs and their work. Back in 2009 branding and media agency TBWA boiled down the whole idea of the festival and created ‘flags’ of the participating nations out of the food that is distinctive to each.
American business has enormous influence all over the world. It is a pace setter. Yet even so in almost every case, apart from aeroplane manufacturing, local companies are usually the mainstay of their economies...American Soft Power certainly exists and I think much of it is welcome whilst much of it is dross. Let us keep it in proportion.
Israel spends NIS 40 million each year on hasbara, the oft-used Hebrew word to describe its public relations efforts, through the Ministry of Public Diplomacy...Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli Edelstein told the Committee on Aliya, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs his ministry employed 150 emissaries overseas, funded 500 delegations and 22,000 speakers.
U.S. diplomats have boosted their public diplomacy through social media. The U.S. government has an active presence on Chinese social media sites; many U.S. officials in China have individual Weibo pages, and the embassy in Beijing and consulate departments update their own sites with remarks by American officials, press releases and videos.
Tourists generally don’t devote much thought to water usage. And why should they? After all, crystal swimming pools, delightfully verdant tropical grounds, and long, luxurious showers are essential elements of any successful vacation, as any harried wage-slave will be happy to tell you. But according to British charity Tourism Concern, blissed-out tourists in third world countries should be contemplating how their leisure is affecting others lives.