A Brief History of CPD-UK Ties

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USC Center on Public Diplomacy

CPD has a long-standing tradition of working with leading UK partners to provide content on all things public diplomacy. With the recent opening of USC's office in London, CPD compiled some of this shared content, from our upcoming event with the former head of BBC television news to a look back at the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Britain is known for international broadcasting through its premier service, the BBC. CPD has partnered with the BBC on a forum about soft power, and many CPD affiliates have written about the importance of this news agency.

• CPD-BBC: Does Soft Power Really Matter? Read the abridged transcript from the CPD-BBC forum on October 2, 2014.
• Britain's International Broadcasting by Rajesh Mirchandani and Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar. This issue of CPD Perspectives looked at the past and present of the BBC as well as a case study of the BBC Hausa Service.
• How to Make the News Better. On March 28, 2018, CPD will co-sponsor an event with BAFTA-Los Angeles and Selwyn College, Cambridge University to bring speaker Roger Mosey, former head of BBC television news, to USC.
• BBC Russian Wants to Expand, But It's Not So Easy by Kim Andrew Elliott. A look at an international broadcasting Cold War throwback.
• No, The BBC's Credibility Is Not in Jeopardy by David S. Jackson. A response to Gary D. Rawnsley's blog post about the BBC's credibility.
• The BBC at a Credibility Crossroads by Gary D. Rawnsley. In 2015, this author offered some words of caution for the British international broadcaster.

Brexit

Although the official Brexit referendum happened in 2016, academics and scholars are still analyzing its potential effects for British public diplomacy.

• Britain at a Diplomatic Crossroads with Brexit Blues by Nicholas J. Cull. A look at Brexit in a PD context.
• ​Brexit Britain: What Future for UK's Soft Power by Victoria Dean. The UK ranked 2nd in last year's Soft Power 30, but Brexit may change that in coming years.
• Brexit: Learning from China by Shaun Riordan. What can Theresa May learn from Mao Zedong?
• Boris Diplomacy, Or What Does Brexit Mean for British PD? by James Pamment. On Boris Johnson and Britain's post-Brexit soft power.
• The UK's EU Referendum and Its Lessons by Yukari Easton. Part I of a two-part analysis of the Brexit vote. Read Part II.

 

British Council

The British Council is one of the UK's most recognizable public diplomacy agencies, and CPD features content on their evaluation methods and more in order to bring you a trans-Atlantic perspective on public diplomacy. 

• British Council on Evaluating Arts & Soft Power Programming by Ian Thomas. Learn how to measure the impact of soft power programming with the Head of Evaluation for the British Council.
• Distinguishing Cultural Relations from Cultural Diplomacy: The British Council's Relationship with Her Majesty's Government by Tim Rivera. This issue of CPD Perspectives emphasized that even though they both have "cultural" in their title, cultural relations and cultural diplomacy are not one in the same.
• Q&A with CPD: Sir Martin Davidson. A special interview with Sir Martin Davidson, KCMG, then CEO of the British Council.

Cultural Institutions: The British Museum and the V&A Museum

Museums have been important practitioners of cultural diplomacy, as was seen with the Cyrus Cylinder on display at the British Museum. Learn more about how CPD has worked with both the British Museum and the V&A Museum to bring you unique content.

• Q&A with CPD: Martin Roth. A frank discussion with Martin Roth, the late director of London's V&A Museum, about the future of cultural diplomacy.
• Around the World with the Cyrus Cylinder: An Interview with John Curtis. John Curtis, Keeper of the Middle East Collections at the British Museum, spoke to CPD about the role of cultural institutions in showing iconic objects.
• A Cultural Diplomacy Catalyst? The Cyrus Cylinder by Andrew Wulf. Inspired by Jay Wang and Naomi Leight-Give'on's blogs on the subject of the Cylinder, Andrew Wulf offered his own take.
• Can an Ancient Artifact Promote Contemporary Dialogue? Naomi Leight-Give'on. After CPD's eventwith Timothy Potts of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Naomi Leight-Give'on explored the Cyrus Cylinder in a modern context.
• Branding the Cyrus Cylinder by Jay Wang. According to CPD's Director, "While the Cylinder show underscores the enduring significance of the role cultural institutions, such as museums, play in fostering international dialogue through historical artifacts, it is also a story of successful branding."
• The Hajj Comes to London: A Step Forward for Cultural Diplomacy by Philip Seib. A look at why the exhibit "Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam" at the British Museum was feat of cross-cultural cooperation between Muslim nations and the UK.

UK Government Public Diplomacy

In addition to working with the British Prime Minister's Office, CPD has worked closely with the FCO agencies such as the British Embassy in Rome and Wilton Park, both in the creation of the Soft Power 30 report and for other events.

• How to Become a Soft Power Superpower by Tom Fletcher. Ambassador Tom Fletcher looked at how soft power resources can contribute to a nation's brand.
• Ambassador Tom Fletcher Speaks About Soft Power. Watch a discussion of the Soft Power 30 report and listen to which countries Amb. Tom Fletcher thinks will be important soft power players in the future.
• International Advocacy in the Digital Age, Workshop #2. Speakers at this CPD event included Danny Andrews, the Prosperity Counsellor at the British Embassy in Rome, Andrew Pike representing the GREAT campaign and Hugh Elliott, then director of communication at the Foreign Commonwealth Office.
• William Hague's Top 7 Contributions to British Public Diplomacy by James Pamment. A review of the British Foreign Secretary's PD legacy.
• Debating Soft Power at Wilton Park. At this CPD event, Chief Executive Richard Burge discussed soft power in action at Wilton Park, a global forum for strategic discussion.
• Public Diplomacy in Action at Wilton Park by Nicholas J. Cull. A recap of the third Wilton Park conference on public diplomacy in the UK.
• A New Era in Cultural Diplomacy: Rising Soft Power in Emerging Markets. A summative report of the proceedings at 2014 conference.

London 2012 Summer Olympics 

Learn how the Summer Olympic Games in London helped contribute to the UK's nation image in the following blog posts.

• London 2012: Everyone's a Winner by John Worne. According to the author, "Before the Olympics, if you'd asked me where the UK would rank in Monocle’s annual 'Soft Power' Survey this year, I'd have hoped for a podium finish. After the Olympics...I am proud to find us carrying off the Gold."
• Culture Posts: Olympic Pageantry of Symbolism by R.S. Zaharna. This CPD Blogger warned that a pageantry of cultural symbolism would be on display at the 2012 London Olympics and noted that "[s]ometimes the most important messages in public diplomacy are the unspoken, symbolic ones."

 

Public Diplomacy in Northern Ireland

CPD's report on track two diplomacy, as well as Alison Holmes' piece on the U.S.' attempted role in the peace process, provide insights for anyone interested in the public diplomacy of Northern Ireland.

• Gary Hart and Northern Irish Diplomacy: Public vs. Private by Alison Holmes. CPD Blogger Alison Holmes examines the U.S.' interest in Northern Irish politics.
• Public Diplomacy, Cultural Interventions & the Peace Process in Northern Ireland: Track Two to Peace? by Joseph J. Popiolkowski and Nicholas J. Cull, eds. Scholars, practitioners and witnesses to the peace process in Northern Ireland capture the transition in a series of essays.

Public Diplomacy in Scotland

From partnering with the Edinburgh International Culture Summit in 2016 to publishing content on Scotland's PD practices, CPD has had a keen interest in fostering relationships with this nation.

• Cultural Relations: Moderating a Volatile World by Jay Wang. In the wake of the Edinburgh International Culture Summit, how can we think about cultural diplomacy?
• CPD Is Knowledge Partner for Edinburgh International Culture Summit '16. CPD went to Scotland from August 24-26, 2016.
• Independence Movements in Scotland and California by Markos Kounalakis. CPD Advisory Board Member Kounalakis on what gets lost when independence is gained.
• The National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch: Theatre as Cultural Diplomacy by Nicholas J. Cull. In a report for CPD, Faculty Fellow Nicholas J. Cull explored this important aspect of Scottish public diplomacy.

 

Other Important Partnerships

Thanks to partnerships with BAFTA Los Angeles and the University of Oxford, CPD has been able to make a splash both at home and abroad. 

• How Soft Power Is Transforming Statecraft. Chantal Rickards, CEO of BAFTA Los Angeles, was one of the panelists at our event co-sponsored by Town Hall Los Angeles.
• Digital Diplomacy in the City of Dreaming Spires. On June 2, 2017, CPD joined forces with the University of Oxford to bring together 16 doctoral students for a spirited discussion on digital and public diplomacy.

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