This Week in Public Diplomacy 10 June, 2013
North Koreans get business internships in Singapore
Tom Benner/The Atlantic
The Choson Exchange, a Singapore-registered non-profit, for the past three years has regularly sent volunteers to Pyongyang and Rason, and more recently brought North Koreans to Singapore, seeking to connect young people and institutions in North Korea with workshops in economic policy and international business.
People-to-People Engagement: Cultures, History, and Mutual Understanding Through Public Diplomacy
Tara D. Soneshine / Department of State
The Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs spoke at The U.S.-Islamic World Forum on June 9. As part of U.S. diplomatic outreach, Soneshine pledged to “build inclusive economies, safeguard freedoms, invest in education, and encourage opportunity”.
U.S. to Spend U.S. $9 Billion On Global Nutrition Through 2014
Kathryn Mcconnell/All Africa
U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah stated that the United States plans to spend $9 billion on nutrition activities through 2014. The funds will accelerate activities aimed at reducing child stunting by 20 percent by 2018 in the 19 low-resource countries supported by Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative.
Talks between North and South Korea collapse
Choe Sang-Hun/New York Times
Just days after North and South Korea agreed to hold their first high-level government meeting in six years, the plans appear to have collapsed over a disagreement about whether the intended delegations were of similar rank.
American Institute of Taiwan chief leaves country for new assignment
Taipei Times
Sheila Paskman, who took became the American Institute of Taiwan’s public diplomacy section chief in July 2010, is coming to the end of her three-year term.
How Xi Can Repair China’s Global Reputation
Andrew Hammond/Moscow Times
Presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama concluded their first summit on Sunday in California. While China’s soft power has lagged, this article outlines how China will be able to develop its public diplomacy skills and policies.
On Our Flashpoint Blog…
Engagement: What does it Mean for Public Diplomacy?
Matthew Wallin
By focusing on relationship-building, and eliminating engagement from the Public Diplomacy lexicon, practitioners and policymakers may begin to better employ the thinking that is required for better public diplomacy. Rather than speaking about Public Diplomacy in abstract terms, emphasizing relationship-building forces those participating in the Public Diplomacy debate to consider the types of activities that are necessary to gain influence.
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