PD News Highlights for 2017

This Year in PD brings you top English language news stories for 2017 from around the world in the fields of international advocacy, economic diplomacy, foreign aid and more. Included in this roundup are articles on topics ranging from Ireland's surgeon-training program in East Africa to the impact of Russian disinformation on the United States political system and international image:

China’s New Silk Road

Image Provided By Pexels

President Xi Jinping laid the foundation for China's One Belt and One Road Initiative by deploying cultural and economic diplomacy initiatives around the world. 

 

Refugee & Immigration Advocacy

Image Provided By Pixabay

Non-state actors developed public diplomacy campaigns to challenge immigration and refugee bans as a means to advocate for human rights. 

 

Countering Russian Disinformation 

Image Provided By Pixabay

With the 2016 U.S. presidential election under scrutiny for possible Russian interference and increasing influence in developing nations, Russian propaganda was a ubiquitous news theme. 

 

Hurricane & Earthquake Aid Diplomacy 

Image Provided By Pixabay

This year saw a significant number of natural disasters worldwide, and in response a number of countries pitched in and demonstrated support through aid diplomacy. 

 

Japanese Soft Power 

Image Provided By Pexels

In 2017, Japan ranked sixth in The Soft Power 30, and continued to advance its soft power prestige through a number of cultural diplomacy endeavors. 

 

Rohingya Aid 

Image Provided By Flickr Creative Commons, News Measurement Network Live

As the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar sought refuge from the Burmese military, several countries stepped up through aid and development diplomacy, while citizens used digital diplomacy to reach a global audience. 

 

The Fight for American Public Diplomacy

Image Provided By Flickr Creative Common, U.S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand

With a new U.S. administration and budget cuts to the State Department, many people wrote about the value of keeping American public diplomacy alive and strong. 

 

Innovation & Collaboration in African Development 

Image Provided By Flickr Creative Commons, MEAACT Kenya

Many African nations worked with different countries and companies on sustainability strategies aiming to accelerate development. 

 

CPD's PD News team produced This Year in PD by culling our regular news roundups: This Week in PD. The weekly curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news is collected from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned and state-sponsored sources.

Follow #TWiPD on Twitter Friday-Sunday for featured articles.

Images are courtesy of: Pixabay (Refugee and Immigration Advocacy, Countering Russian Disinformation, Hurricane & Earthquake Diplomacy), Flickr Creative Commons (Rohingya Aid-News Measurement Network Live, The Fight For American Public Diplomacy-U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, Innovation & Collaboration in African Development-MEAACT Kenya) and Pexels (China's New Silk Road, Japanese Soft Power).

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