Public diplomacy

jpost.com, January 22 Baruch-Ron image from article She made the trek from Ethiopian at the age of ten, and as and adult became deputy mayor of Tel Aviv. Now she's running for Knesset. Excerpt: In the 2004 reality TV show The Ambassador, young Israeli contestants competed over the right to defend the Jewish state in public diplomacy [JB emphasis] around the world. Since then, its judges Nachman Shai and Yaakov Peri became Knesset members and the winner of the contest, Eytan Schwartz, ran unsuccessfully for the Knesset with Labor. Now the second-place finisher, Mehereta Baruch-Ron, is joining the fray, announcing Tuesday that she is seeking a Knesset seat with the Meretz Party. Baruch-Ron, 44, was born in Seramle, Ethiopia, and at age 10 made a difficult journey by foot into Sudan, where she was airlifted to Israel without her family. She went from being illiterate to earning two degrees and then becoming the first Ethiopian-born deputy mayor of Tel Aviv, a post she has held for si..

Bradley McConachie, Australian Journal of International Affairs image (not from entry) from ABSTRACT This research utilises expert interviews to investigate why the Australian Government funds the New Colombo Plan (NCP) and the Australian Studies Centres (ASCs) as public diplomacy [JB emphasis] in China. The ASCs have grown with no increase in funding, however, the academics view themselves as facilitators of Australian Studies not an arm of public diplomacy, despite their work contributing toward positive Australia-China relations. Evaluating the efficacy of the ASC’s contribution to public diplomacy is fraught with risk. Some suggest that political activism may backfire when governments explicitly outline their soft power strategies. As the NCP has no longitudinal measurements, this research is an initial review of short-term achievements. However, the external survey with 16% return rate, and just over 50% response rate indicating an intention to act as ambassadors for the program,..

policyforum.net; original article contains links To strengthen its global and regional influence, Australia should focus on science diplomacy within the Korean peninsula, Olga Krasnyak writes. About the Author Olga KrasnyakDr Olga Krasnyak is a researcher in diplomatic studies at Underwood International College, Yonsei Univesity, where she teaches a number of courses majoring in international studies. She is the author of National styles in science, diplomacy, and science diplomacy (Leiden, Boston: Brill 2018).Science diplomacy is not a tool limited to major powers. Middle powers, too, can go beyond simple military and economic strategies, and use their scientific prowess when asserting their position amongst their peers. In my recent monograph, I analysed past and present examples of science diplomacy practised by major powers, while identifying important structural elements and projecting their future implications. In many cases, middle and smaller powers don’t play a crucial part in..

koreabizwire.com; see also (1) U.S. ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris. (Yonhap)SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Harry Harris, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, has apparently come to the fore in Washington’s call for more money from Seoul for its troops here, potentially taking a toll on Washington’s public diplomacy [JB emphasis] with its key regional ally. The two sides have been in a tug-of-war over how much Seoul should pay for the presence of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).Despite ten rounds of negotiations led by veteran diplomats last year, they failed to strike a deal.The Trump administration demands South Korea sharply increase its burden from the current 960 billion won (US$850 million) a year. A related five-year contract expired at the end of 2018.Amid a protracted stalemate in the talks, Harris visited the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, in late December to discuss the issue, according to The Dong-A Ilbo, a Seoul-based daily.He met with National Sec..

John Sjoholm, limacharlienews.com; see also (1) uncaptioned image from article A sequestered, off the record meeting in Sweden drives U.S., North Korea, South Korea diplomacy. At a sequestered conference facility outside of Stockholm top diplomats from North Korea, the U.S. and South Korea are now meeting under the protection of Swedish military and paramilitary forces for a week long off-the-record gathering. The facility and the area around the facility are off-limits for observers, including accredited journalists. The meeting began on January 19th and is being held at the Hackholmssund Conference Hotel, by the Mälaren Lake, north-west of Stockholm. The area is under lock down by the Swedish paramilitary police force “Nationella Insatsstyrkan” and the Swedish military is conducting training of several of its elite quick response counter-terrorism units in the vicinity. Sources within Rosenbad, the nerve centre of Swedish politics, tell us that the meeting was initiated and coordinat..

eeas.europa.eu image (not from entry) from The closing date for the submission of applications is 1st February 2019 at 18.00 (CET). Late applications will not be accepted. The European External Action Service (EEAS) supports the work of the High Representative in her tasks of conducting the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy and chairing the Foreign Affairs Council. It also supports the High Representative in her capacity as Vice President of the Commission with regard to her responsibilities within the Commission in the external relations field including the coordination of other aspects of the EU’s external action. The EEAS works in close cooperation with Member States, the Council and relevant services of the European Commission. The EU Hybrid Fusion Cell was established in 2016 as an initiative of the Joint Communication on Countering Hybrid threats. It is incorporated into the analysis division of EU INTCEN, which, along with the EU Military Staff Intelligence Directorat..

omny.fm Ogborn image fromExcerpt: U.S. President Donald Trump made a televised offer to Democrats in Congress, regarding border security and the government shutdown, yesterday. This in the midst of the very public fight between President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with Pelosi urging Trump to delay his State of the Union Address and Trump cancelling Pelosi's plan to use a military aircraft for a series of foreign visits, including visiting troops in Afghanistan. Roy [Green] and public diplomacy [JB emphasis] expert William Ogborn cover these topics as well as Brexit and Canada’s relations with China, among other things. ...

May Zhou, China Daily USA, Updated: 2019-01-21 22:57 uncaptioned image from article Some more "personal diplomacy" and people-to-people exchanges was the prescription given by experts and former diplomats for what ails China-US relations. Forty years since China and the United States established diplomatic ties, much has been gained and will be gained if cooperation is chosen instead of confrontation, people from both countries agreed. From Thursday to Saturday, some 200 ex-envoys and observers from both countries gathered in Atlanta for a symposium celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The goal was to conduct candid discussions on finding a new and effective framework for the Sino-American relationship. The symposium was organized by the Carter Center, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Topics included education, perceptions..

jewishnews.timesofisrael.com; article contains additional images; see also (1) Image from article, with caption: chel Gluck with Bashir Chaudhry, chairman of the mosque which held the event Excerpt: The exhibition demonstrated how Muslim Albanians not only protected their own Jewish citizens, but also offered sanctuary to Jewish refugees who had arrived in Albania and faced deportation to concentration camps. ... Attendees at the exhibition included Councillor Jas Athwal, Leader of Redbridge Council, Fiyaz Mughal of Faith Matters, Vivian Aisen [JB - see], Director of Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] at the Israeli Embassy, Sara Khan, Lead Commissioner for Countering Extremism, and Rabbi Wollenberg who represented the Chief Rabbi. ...

Brian Stelter, CNN Business, January 20, 2019; see also (1) image (not from entry) from New York (CNN Business) Voice of America has been busy for the past month covering the partial government shutdown. But unlike other major news outlets, many of Voice of America's reporters are working without pay, victims of the shutdown themselves. The VOA is part of the US Agency for Global Media [JB see], which was known until recently as the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The agency is funded by the government, and beams news coverage around the world through networks like VOA, Radio Free Europe and Radio Martí and on the web. The offices of the Agency for Global Media are closed. But the newsrooms are open and its reporters are navigating furloughs and lack of pay to keep the news going. "The two of us who cover the White House have been going back and forth between unpaid working and furlough status," the news organization's White House bureau chief Steve Herman told CNN Business...