CPD Weekly

Feb 14, 2016

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French Film Festival Returns to NAU ARIZONA DAILY SUN Spread across three weekends, the Tournées French Film Festival is returning to screen a vibrant cross-section of dramas, thrillers, comedies and one animated film surrounding murder, treachery and illicit activities. Dubbed “C’est une crime!” or “It’s a crime,” audiences will follow the thread through award-winning cinema brought to Northern Arizona University to share in francophone culture. Read More...

Princeton Students Construct Wall to Explore Immigration Issues NJ.COM Student activists at Princeton University came together last week to construct "The Wall," an intersectional art installation meant to represent both Israel's West Bank barrier and the Mexico–United States barrier. [...] The project is a collaboration between the Princeton Committee on Palestine (PCP) and DREAM Team, both student-run immigrant rights advocacy groups. Read More...

How Books for Africa is embracing Nonprofit Efficiency Movement STARTRIBUNE Nonprofits are important because they fill a role that neither governments nor corporations can. "Corporations almost invariably underinvest in public goods, because they can capture only a small fraction of the rewards," the New Yorker's James Surowiecki wrote recently. "Governments do better at providing public goods (defense, say, or education), but private agendas often derail the public, and governments are far less effective at tackling global problems." Read More...

North Korea Has a Strange and Surprisingly Effective Campaign in Africa DAILY NEWS X North Korea today is known as the world’s most isolationist nation, an obdurate outpost of totalitarianism. [...] But the public spaces of Senegal, Ethiopia, Kenya and elsewhere are dotted with reminders of a long-running often surreal charm offensive that was waged by the North as part of the Korean peninsula’s own Cold War. Since 1969, Pyongyang’s Mansudae Art Studio has exported statues and other monuments to at least 16 African countries. Read More...

Australia's Digital Diplomacy in the Age of the Political Selfie THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Beyond the self-promoting social media antics of political leaders, digital diplomacy is important because it gives governments the opportunity to reach people they would struggle to reach otherwise, McClory said, whether to attract foreign students, tourists, or to rally people around a cause. "Australia falls down in that they have a smaller diplomatic network compared to the US or UK, Germany or France, they have to work harder to reach those people." Read More...

Latvia Opens New Chapter with Korea THE KOREA TIMES The establishment of a diplomatic mission in Seoul has opened a new chapter in bilateral relations with Korea, says the first resident Latvian ambassador to Korea. "We share similar values and attitudes about working hard and reaching out and so it is quite natural for Latvia to be taking steps to actively promote closer relations with strong, like-minded partners such as Korea," Peteris Vaivars said. Read More...

Feb 13, 2016

Why ISIS Propaganda Works THE ATLANTIC As it stands, the international coalition is far from winning the information war against the Islamic State. Its air strikes may be squeezing the group in Iraq and Syria and killing many of its leaders, but that has not halted the self-proclaimed caliphate’s ideological momentum. Read More...

Community Radio in Latin America: Fighting to be Recognized KNIGHT CENTER NEWS Radio undoubtedly has been the most inclusive medium of communication. [...] In recognition of this, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed the first World Radio Day in 2013 with the purpose of recognizing the importance of radio every Feb. 13. Read More...

A Humanitarian Steps Forward to Aid Refugees GREENWICH TIME Schiff, a Greenwich native now living in Weston, is to leave Tuesday on her second humanitarian mission to the Greek island of Lesbos, the gateway through which most refugees from the Middle East and Sudan enter the European Union. Michael Borrero, a Greenwich Hospital nurse, will accompany her. Read More...

PM Modi Inaugurates Make in India Centre in Mumbai THE TIMES OF INDIA Revolving around the theme of innovation, design and sustainability, the Make In India Centre showcases some of the country's most innovative and trendsetting products and manufacturing processes before the world for the first time after the global launch of the 'Make In India' initiative in September 2014. Read More...

Pope’s Meeting With Russian Patriarch Could Influence Syrian Settlement SPUTNIK INTERNATIONAL The historic meeting between Pope Francis and Russian Patriarch Kirill, which took place in Havana on Friday, could act as a soft force contributing to the resolution of the Syrian crisis, experts told Sputnik. Read More...

National Multicultural Festival Parades Costume, Customs and Cuisine SYDNEY MORNING HERALD It had everything from bagpipes to belly dancers [...] Canberrans came out in force on Saturday to enjoy costume, cuisine and customs from all over the world. The 2016 National Multicultural Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary with 7.5 kilometres of bunting, 400 stalls representing 170 nationalities and 350 performance groups and 2500 performers. Read More...

Feb 12, 2016

India's Rural Olympics THE DIPLOMAT India’s Rural Olympics, formally known as the Kila Raipur Sports Festival, is held annually each winter in Kila Raipur on the outskirts of Ludhiana, Punjab. The festival has been running since 1933. The four-day festival is a celebration of, well, rural Indian culture. Read More...

Why Are Syrian Kurds Pivoting Toward Moscow? THE WASHINGTON POST An affiliate of the largest and most powerful Kurdish party in Syria, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), opened its first official mission abroad — in Moscow. Given the amount of military and political support the PYD has received from the United States, this decision is likely to be received with some shock and confusion in the West. But a closer examination of the PYD’s historical experience and core interests suggests that the politics behind a potential realignment with Moscow makes strategic sense. Read More...

VANK, Yonhap to Cohost Nation Branding Exhibition YONHAP NEWS AGENECY An exhibition to introduce South Korea to the world to increase its national brand awareness will be held in Seoul later this month. The non-governmental organization Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) and Yonhap News Agency will cohost the "National Brand (UP) Exhibition" at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul from Feb. 23-28. Read More...

USG International Student Assembly Hosts Food Fair DAILY TROJAN Undergraduate Student Government’s International Student Assembly, had their International Food Fair on McCarthy Quad Thursday. ISA is part of the programming branch of USG, entrusted to promote the international student population’s concerns and interests, while providing cultural, educational experiences. Read More...

Egypt and China Following Xi’s Visit CANADA FREE PRESS In the course of the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Egypt on January 20-22, 2016, Egypt and China announced a five-year, multi-sector cooperation agreement. [...] On a symbolic level, Egypt and China also declared 2016 as “the Egyptian-Chinese cultural year.” Read More...

Buhari’s Presidency in Digital Diplomacy Era THISDAY LIVE Buhari must realize that public diplomacy in an era, when digital diplomacy has been added to international relations, such that presidents and governments now use social media to pass their messages to foreign countries, there’s need for circumspect Read More...

Feb 11, 2016

A Competition of Successful Student Initiatives for Countering Violent Extremism Previewed At State Department Showcase ALL AFRICA The "Peer 2 Peer (P2P): Challenging Extremism" project, launched in spring 2015, is based on the premise that empowering student "experts" in reaching their peers was a critical strategy in efforts to combat extremist propaganda. Read More...

Lunar New Year Tourists Expected to Spend Big on Australian Fashion SBS Mr Coghlan is helping find ways to build cultural connections and "soft power diplomacy" between the two countries, by taking designers and Australian fashion industry representatives into China - and vice versa. "There's still a knowledge gap in the Australian industry on how China operates and ways to do business with China in the fashion sector, so we're continuing to work on that and build China relevant capabilities," Mr Coghlan said. Read More...

A Floating Library and Artist Record Store: 9 Must-See Booths and Events at the L.A. Art Book Fair LOS ANGELES TIMES The book fair, organized by New York nonprofit Printed Matter and held at the Museum of Contemporary Art's Geffen space in Little Tokyo, will feature more than 250 exhibitors, and is expected to draw upwards of 30,000 visitors. This will include art book purveyors from all over the U.S., as well as locations as far away as Norway, Japan, Guatemala and New Zealand. Read More...

For International Condom Day, Feb. 13th, AHF Says, “Wrap Your App!” BUSINESS WIRE This year’s International Condom Day theme in the U.S. is “Wrap Your App!” The campaign promoting safety and HIV, STD and pregnancy prevention is a nod to tech savvy individuals built around a smartphone-themed graphic showing a menu of apps. The ‘Wrap Your App’ campaign follows on the heels of the powerful AHF dating app billboard campaign that prompted Tinder to create a Health Safety Section page on its mobile app listing and linking to HIV and STD testing service locations. Read More...

Avenues to Debate Foreign Policy THE STATESMAN The emphasis that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid on setting and revamping India’s foreign policy agenda is indeed laudable. In his foreign trips, there has been a constant focus on creating a perception around and effectively projecting ‘Brand India’. It is here that the importance of public diplomacy comes in. Read More...

Patient DFAT Officials Defend Ping-Pong Diplomacy, Yet Again CANBERRA TIMES It wouldn't be senate estimates without senior Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials having to justify the presence of a $6300 ping-pong table in the 'InnovationXchange' ideas hub.[...] "Senator you call it a ping pong table, I call it a meeting table," he said. "It is used all day for meeting and not for ping pong. It is actively used throughout the day and sits 10 or 12 people around it." Read More...

Feb 10, 2016

Listen Up: Digital Media's Many Opportunities to Stay Informed and Data-Driven CPD BLOG In an earlier CPD blog post, Sohaela Amiri’s list of essential tools for digital diplomats concluded: “Impactful social media presence is primarily about listening.” We agree. Our recently published research, moreover, outlines some ways that the ease of search, categorization, and analysis of digital media content can be put to use to learn more about how nations are represented in online media. Read More...

A Taste for Life: Meet Food Diplomat Ami Matsuzawa JAPAN TODAY Ami Matsuzawa is an inquisitive person. This is probably why First Lady Akie Abe wanted to meet her as part of an international group of young women that is helping Japan engage with the world.Read More...

Little Norway Spends Big on Syrian Refugee Crisis USA TODAY While Germany has grabbed most of the attention for its response to Europe's migrant crisis, little fjord-filled Norway has quietly emerged as one of the largest contributors of humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees.The oil-rich Scandinavian country of 5 million has pledged $1.2 billion over the next four years for people who have fled Syria's nearly 5-year-old civil war. Read More...

Two of a Kind THE ARCTIC JOURNAL Announcements made by the Russian news agency TASS confirmed that Beijing’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA) would prepare its seventh Arctic exploration mission later this year and would seek a partnership with Russia to conduct a joint exploration and research mission in the Arctic. Read More...

The Politics of Language: Teaching Arabic in U.S. Colleges THE TUFTS DAILY Chang highlighted the shortcomings of the “al-Kitaab” textbook series, which graces the shelves of college bookstores fromStanford, CA to Medford, Mass. She pointed out how early chapters of the textbook, which in congruent levels of learning Spanish or French would include colors and months, are riddled with vocabulary about the United Nations, the State Department and diplomacy. Read More...

Lunar New Year Tourists Expected to Spend Big on Australian Fashion SBS While Chinese tourists in Australia for Lunar New Year are being targeted in the hope they will spend big on Australian fashion [...] Mr Coghlan is helping find ways to build cultural connections and "soft power diplomacy" between the two countries, by taking designers and Australian fashion industry representatives into China - and vice versa. Read More...

Feb 9, 2016

The Useful Idiots Show CPD BLOG During the 1950s, there was a term that was sometimes used to describe people who were exploited by Soviet communists to publicly support their ideology. The term was “useful idiots.” The phrase, like communism itself, has largely disappeared from use, but there are still plenty of useful idiots around. If you don’t believe it, just spend some time watching RT. Read More...

Can Your PlayStation Stop a War? FOREIGN POLICY For government agencies and NGOs that work to foster peace [...] video games are the obvious next step in the fight to reach new audiences and change minds. […] And quite apart from the large, established game market in North America, Europe, and Asia, the gaming population in some conflict zones around the world is large and growing. Read More...

Your Old USB Flash Drive Could Help Fight North Korean Repression NBC NEWS The New York-based Human Rights Foundation and Forum 280, a Silicon Valley nonprofit, have teamed up to launch a program that will collect donated USB flash drives, load them with content ranging from "South Korean soap operas to Hollywood films to Korean-language versions of Wikipedia to interviews with North Korean defectors," and smuggle them into the North for ordinary North Koreans to enjoy. Read More...

The Walled City of Lahore: Protecting Heritage and History THE DIPLOMAT After years of negligence and a lack of serious preservation efforts, the historic buildings and facades of Lahore’s old city are being rescued from further deterioration […] The Walled City of Lahore initiative has helped promote cultural activities and tourism in the city. The initiative allows visitors, both local and foreign, to get acquainted with the history, architecture, lifestyle, and community of old Lahore. Read More...

Sorry, Sushi Burrito: Japanese Program Certifies Authentic Cuisine NPR Across America, sushi is getting reimagined, often in outlandish ways. […] But none of them are authentically Japanese — not even the beloved California roll […] A new program from the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will certify that Japanese restaurants operating outside the country uphold the values of traditional Japanese cuisine, known as washoku. Read More...

India Blocks Facebook's Plan for Free Internet CNN India's telecoms regulator ruled Monday that service providers must charge the same price for all content, dealing a crushing blow to "Free Basics," a Facebook initiative that had come under withering criticism from tech activists. "Free Basics," formerly known as Internet.org, offered limited Internet access to consumers who cannot afford a broadband connection or smartphone data plan. Read More...

Feb 8, 2016

Meet The Syrian YouTube Star Who's Making Germany Laugh THE WORLD POST A Syrian refugee is showing Germany's locals and newcomers that the best way to understand each other is through humor. Firas Alshater, a drama student and filmmaker, is the star of a new YouTube video series that explores German society from a refugee's point of view. Read More...

Ready for Puerto Vallarta Jazz Festivals 2016 PUERTO VALLARTA DAILY NEWS Organizers of the Puerto Vallarta Jazz Festival are fine tuning the last details of the event to be held February 12-13. The event is organized with the Sister City Foundation and Puerto Vallarta’s Sister City of Highland Park (Illinois). Read More...

S.Sudan: Hiring 20,000 Zimbabwean Teachers GEESKA AFRIKA South Sudan’s education minister, John Gai is in Zimbabwe to plans to hiring of hundreds of its teachers and nurses to work in the young nation. The Zimbabwean Chronicle newspaper reported recently that Juba intends to hire 20,000 Zimbabwean graduates to work at internationally-paid rates equivalent to those given to United Nations staff. Read More...

British Media 'Most Right-Wing and Biased' in Europe SPUTNIK INTERNATIONAL Concerns over the economy, fears about refugees and stories on housing - it seems many are skeptical about press coverage in the UK with the British media regarded as the most "right-wing" and "biased" in Europe, according to a new poll. Read More...

Facebook Loses a Battle in India Over Its Free Basics Program NEW YORK TIMES In a setback for Facebook, Indian regulators have banned free mobile data programs that favor some Internet services over others. The regulations, issued Monday after months of intense public debate over how to extend the Internet to India’s poorest citizens, effectively block Facebook’s controversial Free Basics program in India. Read More...

Turkish Group Behind Gaza Flotilla Setting Up First Refugee 'Safe Haven' on Syrian Soil HAARETZ Inside a big, shiny, spanking clean structure equipped with an advanced computer system are activists working for The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, known by its Turkish acronym IHH. They are coordinating the extensive activity involved in transferring aid to the Syrian refugees and setting up camps on Syrian soil. Read More...