public diplomacy

September 30, 2011

The public diplomacy division of India's ministry of external affairs is launching a major initiative aimed at encouraging individuals and countries to think of India in interesting, pervasive and positive ways. This is being done through a global video challenge themed "India is...Global Video Contest."

Every day brings a new gantlet thrown down by China to American leadership. Thursday, it was of China’s launch of a rocket containing elements of its new space laboratory, images that will be exploited to their full potential in the service of Chinese public diplomacy.

But Europe is not speaking with one voice, despite appeals from the likes of Javier Solana, the former high representative for European Union foreign policy, who has called for unanimous European support for Palestinian membership.

The cultural days in Sydney had a wonderful resonate with the Australian people as it witnessed the presence of the masses and the elite intellectuals... interested in the heritage, cultural and intellectual aspects of Oman.

Sunday is going to open up a very interesting period in Saudi history because now, for the next four years, people are going to be debating in the press and in tweets and on Facebook how exactly this is going to work and how much power or freedom the women have to be campaigning just like men.

By asking for recognition at the U.N. while scrupulously avoiding violence, the Palestinians are, finally, pursuing an intelligent foreign policy that has the prospect of isolating their adversary and bringing international opinion on their side.

Critics may wonder how willing...Turkish leaders are to actually admit to the empire's "not so beautiful parts"... Still, it's noteworthy that the Turkish P.M. sees in the Ottoman past a...soft-power cachet, based presumably on the empire's extraordinary diversity and tolerance of many faiths...

September 29, 2011

Cosplay – in which participants dress up as fictional, typically sci-fi or manga characters – is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. It’s a potential source of soft power that Japanese policymakers should be keeping a better eye on.

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