A curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned, and state-sponsored sources. The stories featured don't necessarily represent CPD's views nor have they been verified by CPD.
Text the Vote
Around the world, text messaging has become the tool of those dissatisfied with the political status quo, as was first demonstrated in the Philippines in 2001 when protesters organized themselves via cellphone to overthrow President Joseph Estrada.
Chicago 2016 Studies China’s Security Plan as it Makes its Own
Security is on parade at these Summer Games, from the 10-foot metal mesh fences around sporting venues to the scan-and-search stations at the entry to each venue. Yet all these visible measures, involving 100,000 security personnel and $2 billion in spending, failed to prevent tragedy Saturday when a lone assailant stabbed two Americans at a tourist site, killing one and seriously injuring another. The incident not only cast a pall over the start of the Games, but it raised the question of what, if anything, future host cities can do to prevent the unexpected attack.
USA’s ‘Redeem Team’ wallop China
The United States vs. China as the opening basketball game was the best of the west against the beasts of the east. A matchup of contrasting idealogies, on and off the basketball court. A contest that in so many ways symbolised these Olympics. China desperately wanting to show it can do things as well as the world's superpower, but in the end not quite managing to pull it off.
Harmony and the Dream
The opening ceremony in Beijing was part of China’s assertion that development doesn’t come only through Western, liberal means, but also through Eastern and collective ones. The ceremony drew from China’s long history, but surely the most striking features were the images of thousands of Chinese moving as one. We’ve seen displays of mass conformity before, but this was collectivism of the present — a high-tech vision of the harmonious society performed in the context of China’s miraculous growth.
Winning the ideas war against Al-Qaeda
US officials and policy analysts are talking less about "winning the hearts and minds" of Arabs and Muslims worldwide as part of public diplomacy efforts, and instead are focusing on winning "the war of ideas" against Islamic extremist groups. Such a shift is stirring debate about what the right approach to the war of ideas is, and the answer has serious implications for American foreign policy.
China’s Army of Student Fans Drilled Like Soldiers
Dressed identically and chanting the same upbeat slogans, Chinese students appear at every Olympic event to cheer on Chinese and foreign competitors alike. An 800,000-strong army of students has been drilled like soldiers to provide "atmosphere" at the Games, following concerns that traditionally reserved Chinese spectators might not enter into the full spirit of the event.
Eight Dead After Bombings in Western China Mars Olympic Opening Weekend
Uighur separatists storm police station and lob explosives. Meanwhile, George Bush uses Beijing visit to promote religious freedom
Tibet Activists Take to Tiananmen
[Video] Five foreign activists from Students for A Free Tibet protested at Tiananmen Square on Saturday, the second day of the Olympics. The group's founder John Hocevar says non-violent protests will continue.
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