public opinion
The Netherlands might be giving one of its long-running traditions a makeover, for a very good reason. During parades celebrating Christmas, crowds are peppered with revelers in blackface, who are dressed up as Zwarte Piet, or "Black Pete", the dumb, servile sidekick of Santa Claus, according to Dutch folklore. While some might argue that the practice is nothing more than a harmless tradition, a Dutch court ruled on July 3 that Amsterdam should reconsider allowing the controversial figure in its parades, since it reinforces negative stereotypes of black people.
The Lebanese Consulate in Sao Paulo outright rejected a television report about the status of Arab women, particularly in Lebanon, saying the show demonstrated ignorance of the situation in Lebanon. “The Consulate General of Lebanon in Sao Paulo vehemently condemns the report Globo presented on Sunday 29.6.2014 addressing the situation of women in the Middle East, specifically in Lebanon,” Consul Kabalan Frangieh said in a statement.
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Simon Anholt has recently established a new method to evaluate a country's reputation and image. The Good Country Index measures "what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away." Various factors are considered in the evaluation including: science and technology, culture, international peace and security, world order, planet and climate, prosperity and equality, and health and wellbeing.
Turkey's massive soft power has rapidly evaporated as Ankara attempted to impose its values on others. Due to its soft power, every actor in the Middle East -- Sunnis and Shiites, autocratic regimes and pro-reform critics, Israel and Palestinians -- trusted Ankara's integrity.
A far more compelling contest between Ghana and Germany will shortly demand your attention. But just for an instant, you were a witness to someone else’s history. You wanted them to do well. That’s the most potent form of diplomacy.
Dozens of young Australians are showing their support for fighters in Syria and Iraq by liking images, creating online groups and adopting the black-and-white flag used by a terrorist group on their social media pages.
US President Barack Obama ordered American troops back onto Iraqi soil. Granted, it's only a few hundred this time, and they are ostensibly there just to protect the US embassy in Baghdad — a far cry from the thousands that flooded the country after the 2003 invasion. Still, US troops in Iraq carry the baggage of that long, bloody war, a fact that is not lost on the average Iraqi.
Santos’ push for peace was enough to tip the balance in his favor, but his opponent said in his concession speech that the voice of the 7 million Colombians who voted against him 'will have to be heard.'