USC Center on Public Diplomacy - CPD Weekly (August 25)

Aug 25, 2017 - via email

Muslim Man Offers Hugs to Strangers After Barcelona Terror Attack

INDEPENDENT He stood by a sign that read: 'I am Muslim, I am not a terrorist. I share hugs of love and peace.' The words were written in Catalan, Spanish, English, Arabic and French. [...] The man's gesture echoes the reaction of other Muslims following previous Islamist terror attacks. Read More...

Facebook Removes Posts Made by People Smugglers Aiming to Lure Migrants

THE GUARDIAN Facebook has removed several posts made by people smugglers openly advertising to attract migrants seeking passage to Europe. Written in Arabic, many of the posts were accompanied by videos and testimonials of what the smugglers claim are successful trips across the Mediterranean from Turkey to Greece, and from Egypt to Italy. All were written in recent months, a time of year when many people attempt the journey. Read More...

What Attracts Expatriates to Work Overseas?

TALENT DEVELOPMENT The world is getting smaller. More and more organizations are expanding into new international markets as globalization continues to become a reality. Such global expansion requires people who are willing to be globally mobile. While we may understand some of the reasons that motivate expatriates to work internationally, it is not very clear how important the destination is to expatriates. Read More...

People Are Falling In Love With the ‘Humans Of New York’ Docuseries

HUFFINGTON POST Brandon Stanton's popular photography blog and Facebook page features often inspirational and thought-provoking interviews with everyday New Yorkers, and it’s grown from strength to strength since its inception in 2010. [...] "The key to all film, really, and certainly to the documentary films we do, is storytelling,” she said. “This is storytelling at its core, at its most visceral. That really appealed to us. People really open themselves up in a way that continues to surprise me." Read More...

Thais to Stage Khon Show at Sydney Opera House

THE NATION A troupe of 56 Thai khon performers will stage the Ramayana at the Sydney Opera House in Australia for the first time, next Monday night. The khon – a dance drama by performers in masks – was part of the cultural trip organized by the Culture, Foreign, and Tourism and Sports ministries to celebrate the 7th circle birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and 65 years of relations between Thailand and Australia. Read More...

Imperial Ambassadors Bring Incredible Travel Stories to the World

ASIA ONE Launched by Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the global marketing campaign of "Imperial Ambassador" aims to promote Beijing's global tourism image and establish its reputation in the travel and tourism industry, and is a fresh attempt to transform the city into an "international exchange hub". Read More...

Aug 24, 2017

The Native American Rockers Fighting to be Heard

THE GUARDIAN In the shadow of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations, once-obscure Indigenous musicians from across North America gathered in Toronto to perform songs fused to the land of their ancestors. Read More...

How Sicilian Oranges Are Being Made into Clothes

BBC From fashion to energy - the rind and seeds of Sicily's most famous citrus fruit, the humble orange, are being used in a range of greener, healthier business initiatives. Read More...

Cultural Ministry to Organise Festival of India in Brazil

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS With a view to strengthen cultural relations and to showcase diverse Indian culture to Brazilian people, the union ministry of culture is organizing a festival of India in three cities of Brazil. [...] Three cities including Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have been selected for the events. Read More...

China's Soft Power: A Comparative Failure or Secret Success

CPD BLOG At a time when Europe appears ever more self-absorbed and the U.S. questions many of the foundations of post-war prosperity which it created, China appears ever more self-assured in offering an alternative narrative. [...] Despite this massive investment, China’s soft power still languishes far behind that of its Western rivals in most comparative studies: 28th out of 30 in Portland’s 2016 report on soft power or 20th out of 25 according to Monocle. Read More...

Norwegian Artist to Hold Art Symposium in N. Korea

THE KOREA TIMES Norwegian artist Morten Traavik, who drew global attention in 2015 by bringing Slovenian avant-garde band Laibach to perform in Pyongyang, will hold the first-ever art symposium in North Korea, Aug. 26 to Sept. 4. His latest initiative named "DMZ Academy" seeks collaborative works between artists from North Korea's state-run institutions and those from the outside world, amid heightened tensions on the peninsula. Read More...

Passion Made Possible Brand for Singapore

MARKETS INSIDER Over the last five decades, Singapore has built a strong reputation as a global business and tourism hub, recognized for its quality infrastructure, safety, stability, connectedness and accessibility. However, global competition to attract tourists and investments has intensified, and the media landscape has become more crowded and complex. Read More...

Iran to Host Int’l Conference on Diplomacy of Unity

IRAN FRONT PAGE The event will bring together scholars from Iran and other countries. High on the agenda of the day-long conference will be issues such as a united Islamic community, Islamic civilization, resistance and the social assets of the Muslim world. Read More...

Aug 23, 2017

For 10 Years, the Twitter Hashtag Fueled Social Activism and Dad Jokes

RECODE Ten years ago today, the Twitter hashtag was born with a very simple tweet. [...] And while Twitter is celebrating today by promoting the rise of popular, non-political hashtags like #FollowFriday, #NowPlaying and #ThrowbackThursday, the hashtag’s most meaningful contribution in the U.S. and abroad has been its ability to rally the internet around more serious ideas and issues. Read More...

UK Considers Internet Ombudsman to Deal with Abuse Complaints

THE GUARDIAN Ministers in the UK are considering creating an internet ombudsman to deal with complaints about hate crimes and are pressing ahead with proposals for a levy on social media companies to help pay for the policing of online offenses. [...] The idea of an internet ombudsman is already being developed in France and Australia. Each country is creating an agency to act as an independent body that will mediate between members of the public and social media firms. Read More...

ICCR to Host Mime Festival, Workshop

STATE TIMES Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs in association with the Department of Students Welfare University of Jammu is going to organize first ever Mime Festival and Workshop in Jammu. Read More...

Mayor Honored for Promoting City and Encouraging Citizen Diplomacy

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry on Tuesday received two honors — both of them for promoting Albuquerque on the world stage and for advancing citizen diplomacy. The first award was from Global Ties ABQ on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The award recognizes Berry’s “extraordinary commitment to encourage citizen diplomacy and to foster commercial, educational, and cultural exchange between Albuquerque and nations from all over the world.” Read More...

The BBC Has Launched A New Pidgin Digital Service

BLAVITY BBC premiered its new Pidgin service on Monday, August 21, hopeful that the station will attract the estimated 75 million Pidgin speakers in Nigeria, as well as Pidgin speakers in Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Pidgin, for the unfamiliar, is a hybrid language that mixes English with one or more other languages. About 5 million Nigerians speak Pidgin as their first language. Read More...

Tea Diplomacy in The Age of “Fire and Fury”

DIPLOMATIC COURIER In an era marked with alarming language of “fire and fury,” it is useful to add a bag of tea to boiling water and let it steep for until reason gives diplomacy a chance to percolate for an amiable situation. As a beverage, tea lubricates good conversations, without the hangovers that come along with alcoholic concoctions. Read More...

Aug 22, 2017

Artist Carlos Cruz-Diez's Street Installation at Broad for PST: LA/LA

LOS ANGELES TIMES “Couleur Additive” will take over the crosswalks at Grand Avenue and 2nd Street in downtown Los Angeles after Labor Day. The Broad commissioned the work for PST: LA/LA, the Getty Foundation-funded exhibition series that is bringing work by Latino and Latin American artists to institutions around Southern California. Read More...

George and Amal Clooney Donate $1m to Combat US Rightwing Extremism

THE GUARDIAN The Clooney Foundation for Justice says that it will bestow a grant of $1m to the SPLC in order to assist the civil rights organization in its attempts to combat violent extremism in the US, following the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer at a white supremacist rally in the campus city earlier this month. Read More...

What Happened When Teens from Kashmir and Delhi Became Pen Pals

BBC What is life like for a young girl growing up in Indian-administered Kashmir, one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world? How different is it to that of a girl living in the Indian capital Delhi? BBC Hindi's Divya Arya asked two teenagers, Duaa from Srinagar and Saumya in Delhi, to become pen pals. Read More...

Parolin in Russia: Vatican Diplomacy Has Key Role in Global Debate

ANGELUS NEWS As he arrived to Russia for his official three-day visit, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Holy See has a special role on the global scene given its attention to both spiritual and diplomatic themes. Read More...

BON Holds 3rd International Summit On Digital Broadcasting

CHANNELS TV Broadcast media executives have converged on Lagos for the 3rd international summit on Digital Broadcasting in Nigeria. The event organized by the Broadcast Organizations of Nigeria (BON) and BSP Media International had the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed in attendance. Read More...

Snack diplomacy: What Seoulites Think of N. Korean Nibbles

NK NEWS North Korea does not have a reputation for culinary excellence. While there is increasing choice if, say, you want to eat out in Pyongyang, it’s a long way away from the world-renowned cuisine you can find south of the DMZ. Read More...

Aug 21, 2017

Further sporting Success for AsiaSat with SEA Games

RAPID TV NEWS Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company (AsiaSat) is teaming with Encompass Digital Media to deliver live coverage of the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to viewers across Asia-Pacific. Read More...

Using ‘Shikar Diplomacy’ in 19th-Century Nepal

THE WIRE Nepalese kings organized massive hunts to get on the good side of the British – hunts that may have been terrible for conservation, but worked diplomatic magic. [...] ‘Hunting diplomacy’ lent the Ranas much-needed social capital with the British elite, and an invite from the Ranas of Nepal became a much-coveted affair for the colonists themselves. Read More...

Hungarian Pavilion at Astana Expo Receives 200,000 Visitors

BUDAPEST BUSINESS JOURNAL In the last two months the Hungarian pavilion at the international exposition in Astana, Kazakhstan, received 200,000 visitors, Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga said on Friday on the "Hungary Day" of Expo 2017 Astana - Future Energy. Read More...

Part II: A House United Through Domestic Diplomacy

CPD BLOG In recent months the United States has witnessed a heavy dose of partisan politics driving the nation’s dialogue, creating a deeper divide on important issues. In the process we have used political figures as scapegoats for the impairment caused by this very division. If this destructive pattern does not end, we will drain our most powerful resource for healing and understanding – I call it “domestic diplomacy,” dialogue that engages people to find commonalities and join together as one. Read More...

African Instagrammers Documenting Hidden Hotspots Disrupting Tourism

QUARTZ Through the use of social media, travel platforms like Tastemakers Africa, Everyday Africa, Hip Africa, Visiter L’Afrique and others are giving African travel and tourism a fresh and youthful injection by reimagining the possibilities of African travel for Africans, the African diaspora, and international tourists keen to do something other than seeing the “Big Five” on a game reserve truck or buying rugs in Morocco. Read More...

Dabeet to Forge Sister City Relationships Between Palestine, US

MUSCATINE JOURNAL Dabeet, who serves on Sister Cities International — an organization dedicated to promoting citizen diplomacy among nations — wants to build “bridges of peace and understanding among nations.” He is particularly interested in building some bridges between the United States and his native Palestine and serves on Sister Cities International in a capacity that allows him to do exactly that. Read More...

Why the White House’s Arts and Humanities Commitee Decided to Resign

VANITY FAIR The committee, devised in 1982 under the Ronald Reagan administration, was initially created to advise the White House on cultural issues. However, that mission has become extraordinarily difficult under the Trump administration, Penn tells Vanity Fair. Read More...