PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

DEC 4, 2008
Twilight, Britney Spears and Grand Theft Auto: The Key to Obama’s Foreign Policy?
The Huffington Post
So how should the Obama administration institute Public Diplomacy 2.0? First, create a central agency like FDR's Office of War Information (later the US Information Agency) to oversee the public diplomacy efforts of all government departments, including State, Defense, CIA, AID and others. Secondly, enlist the private sector as a partner in public diplomacy. Get the best talent from media, entertainment and technology. The government needs help. It doesn't have the resources, experience or expertise to go it alone.  Read more...

DEC 3, 2008
The Focus is on ‘Soft Power’
The Philadelphia Inquirer
At a time when America's need to engage with the world has never been greater, funding for public diplomacy has been shrinking..."We are not staffed to keep up with old needs, let alone new needs," said Ronald Neumann, president of the American Academy of Diplomacy. He calls for more staffing for public diplomacy, new Web outreach, reopened cultural centers, and more exchanges.  Read more...

DEC 3, 2008
Government Using BI Software To Measure Public Diplomacy
InformationWeek
A State Department pilot project using Business Objects' planning and budgeting software aims to prove that overseas anti-Americanism reduction programs are working...the public diplomacy division's goal is to demonstrate, for example, why youth summer camps in the Middle East require more funding than some in other countries because of higher transportation, staffing, and translation resources costs.   Read more...

DEC 3, 2008
Ins and Outs of a China Courtship
Asia Times
This "taming China's rise" strategy, however, overlooks the People's Republic of China's (PRC) "agency" of influencing world politics... New policy initiatives such as "smile diplomacy" (weisiao waijiaou), "public diplomacy" (gonggong waijiaou), and "good neighbor diplomacy" (mulin waijiaou) have been instrumental in Beijing's pursuit of a benign hegemony. These initiatives have one thing in common: a sophisticated use of soft power resources.   Read more...

DEC 3, 2008
Matter of Rebuilding U.S. Reputation
Gulf News
The need for one particular change is clear. The Bush administration never understood that public diplomacy and public relations are not the same thing. Of course selling foreign policy to the public - both at home and abroad - is a vital task for any government. But building support for, and an understanding of, American culture and values is not the same thing as building support for whoever happens to be the American president at any particular moment.  Read more...

DEC 2, 2008
Boost for Ties with China
The Telegraph
A hectic fortnight in trade and cultural diplomacy between Calcutta and China last month could open a new chapter in bilateral ties, city fathers hope...Zhang Zulin, the mayor of Kunming, signed an MoU that sought to foster ties between Calcutta and Kunming as sister cities. “They have great interest to re-establish cultural and commercial ties with Calcutta and sought active help from the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC). I am optimistic about a thaw in Sino-Indian ties,” said Calcutta mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya.  Read more...

DEC 2, 2008
UK-Syria Cultural Exchange Helps Build Bridges
The Financial Times
Dozens of world-class ceramics are on display in the cavernous Khan Assad Basha, an atmospheric stone caravanserai in Damascus's old souq...All are part of a touring exhibition from London's acclaimed Victoria and Albert Museum, which has just opened in the Syrian capital..."This is a cultural exchange between the east and west but it's not about politics, it's about building bridges," says May Mamarbachi, the exhibition organizer. "During the Ottoman Empire, Syria was a passage between east and west, and this khan was a focal point, where all the caravans could come and exchange their goods."  Read more...

DEC 2, 2008
Use Diplomacy to Serve the Economy
VietNamNet Bridge
Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has called for closer coordination of political, economic and cultural diplomacy; as well as tighter integration of State diplomacy with the Party and National Assembly’s diplomatic activities. He also stressed the importance of people-to-people diplomacy. He suggested that the diplomatic sector should focus its efforts on encouraging overseas Vietnamese to look towards their mother country and make material and spiritual contributions to Vietnam.   Read more...

DEC 1, 2008
US To Use Web 2.0 To Win “War Of Ideas”: US Image-Maker
Agence France Presse
The United States is embracing social networks and other Web 2.0 tools to win the "war of ideas" with Islamic militants and other extremist groups, a top US policy-maker said Monday..."The best way to achieve our goals in public diplomacy is through a new approach to communicating, an approach that is made far easier because of the emergence of Web 2.0 or social networking technologies...We call our new approach Public Diplomacy 2.0..."  Read more...

DEC 1, 2008
Ideas, Not Military Strength, are the Currency of Modern Diplomacy
The Gazette (Montreal)
In the past, a democratic, wealthy, militarily powerful country could count on having its voice heard on the international scene. Nowadays, a country's diplomatic effectiveness rests as much on the power of its institutions as its consistent promotion of human rights and values. It's becoming increasingly clear that a country's national prestige is tied to the quality of its universities...Canada has nothing to blush about regarding its own post-secondary education system, yet our country has not fully capitalized on the opportunities that our universities afford us on the world stage. It would be wise for Canada's foreign-affairs strategy to include knowledge diplomacy, alongside the traditional soft-power tools of development aid and cultural outreach.  Read more...

DEC 1, 2008
Cultural Exchange Never Tasted So Good
Cultural Diplomacy News
Although we recognize that there is a link between a people and their cuisine, food has yet to be truly and effectively utilized as a medium of cultural diplomacy. Working for the past three decades to change the maligned role of food as an element of culture, the Italy-based international organization Slow Food has promoted education, activism and celebration of unique cuisines and traditional food products as a method to increase understanding amongst peoples...Offering visitors a chance to learn about other cultures through the medium of food, the events of Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto are excellent examples of the benefits of using food as a medium for cultural exchange. Through the combination of exposure to foods and educational enrichment, the events give food producers and food itself the ability to act as ambassadors for their respective cultures, increasing awareness and understanding amongst the visitors and the producers themselves.   Read more...

DEC 1, 2008
National Strategy Crucial to Extend Latin America Ties
The Canberra Times
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith acknowledged in Lima the Government had some catching up to do to keep pace with increased Australian people-to-people, industry, educational and commercial exchanges with Latin America. A Government-led strategy could build on successful Australian business engagement with the region, and provide Australia with an outstanding opportunity to diversify and strengthen relations with an increasingly successful and influential region. We should begin by increasing the number of diplomatic missions and trade posts, at least to match the level of the less wealthy Latin American diplomatic presence here.  Read more...

Previous posts  1 2 3 >  Last »