PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

APR 18, 2008
A Torch Job To Liberty
The Washington Post
To the Chinese government, the word "harmony" is apparently synonymous with suppression. The Olympic torch is in danger of being extinguished for good, but not by demonstrators. Every day it's put out by Chinese officials and their exported paramilitary force, who seem to think the Olympic spirit is not about accommodating the world, but about forcing the world to accommodate them.  Read more...

APR 17, 2008
Protesters March in Advance of Torch in India
The New York Times
Hundreds of Tibetan protesters marched through central Delhi on Thursday morning shouting "Die for Freedom" hours before the Olympic torch was due to be carried through the Indian capital.  Read more...

APR 17, 2008
New Freedom, and Peril, in Online Criticism of China
The Washington Post
In the wake of the violence that has rocked Tibet and the protests over the Olympic torch relay, online bulletin boards in China have erupted with virulent comments rooted in nationalist sentiments. The verbal onslaughts have been made possible in part by the Chinese government, which has allowed online discussion to progress more freely recently than in the past. With the Olympics nearing, China has gradually allowed some sites that had been left on-again, off-again for years -- BBC, CNN, YouTube and others -- to remain accessible for several weeks now.  Read more...

APR 17, 2008
Cultural Diplomacy in Africa: the Road Ahead
Cultural Diplomacy News
Many African countries are often times not recognized for their individuality and progress but rather are grouped under the broad term of Africa which usually calls to mind more often than not a negative basket case scenario of failed states. This is the result of what has been labeled as “continent brand effect”. The African continent and its countries are consequently suffering from this above Brand Africa phenomenon whereby every country shoulders the reputation of the other, often times to the formers detriment.  Read more...

APR 17, 2008
Chinese vent anti-Western fury online
The Christian Science Monitor
Bloggers are now calling for boycotts and stoking death threats over perceived insults from Westerners who have criticized China's human rights record ahead of this summer's Olympic Games.  Read more...

APR 17, 2008
China Demands ‘Sincere Apology’ From CNN
The Washington Post
CNN offered an apology Tuesday, but the Chinese rejected it as inadequate. CNN's Beijing bureau chief was summoned to a meeting at the Chinese Foreign Ministry Wednesday night, and Thursday a ministry spokeswoman said the global news network needed to do more to "take back the vile remarks."  Read more...

APR 17, 2008
Lecture hails French language as bringer of peace, freedoms
The Daily Star (Lebanon)
The Canadian ambassador expressed his nation's contribution to promoting the French language on the world stage. "Since the 1960s, Canada has been developing francophone ability throughout the world ... through francophone press, television stations and youth activities and the diplomatic francophone relations have grown with the exchange of heads of state," he said.   Read more...

APR 17, 2008
The folly of ‘soft power’
National Post (Canada)
The simple fact of the matter is that we opted for peacekeeping because it was cheap, carried little or no domestic political risk (because it was UN-sanctioned), and allowed us to smugly declare that our soldiers, sailors and airmen are more like aid-workers in uniform-- unlike those nasty, blood-thirsty American warmongers.  Read more...

APR 16, 2008
Enlarging the Anglosphere
The Wall Street Journal
When Winston Churchill met President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the deck of the H.M.S. Prince of Wales in 1941, he spoke of the common bonds between Britain and America: "The same language . . . the same hymns . . . more or less, the same ideals." As he implied, the special relationship should be forged not merely by formal ties between governments, but by widening and deepening understanding and contact between people.  Read more...

APR 16, 2008
Africans’ newest form of dissent: blogs
The Christian Science Monitor
Kalonji is among a growing number of bloggers in Africa who are using their websites to question or challenge their governments. But, although Internet access is slowly becoming more affordable and available in Africa, bloggers say their audience is still mostly outside the continent.  Read more...

APR 16, 2008
US sinks even lower in Arab world’s esteem - poll
The Daily Star (Lebanon)
The survey found that while views on some issues varied among the six countries, cynicism about U.S. motivations and policies was fairly consistent. Eighty percent said their views of the U.S. are formed more by U.S. "policies" than by U.S. "values" -- up from 70 percent who took that position in 2006.  Read more...

APR 16, 2008
Shaping the youth with basketball training
Khaleej Times
The 6-ft 8-inch tall coach is today much sought after as a lecturer on basketball fundamentals and life values learned from the game. John has travelled around the world's trouble spots, trying to make the world a better place through basketball. He works with different governments, NGOs and multinational corporations to educate children, raise awareness of social causes and promote diplomacy.  Read more...

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