Soft power

Democracy events

Thursday, March 4, 2010 – 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM – The Iraqi Elections & the Changing Politico-Security Environment in Iraq – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. – Featuring keynote speaker Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, this one day conference presents a number of panels and experts discussing key issues of security and [read full story]

U.S. must shift gears to support Green movement

“If the U.S. thought relations between the United States and Iran were strained after the Mossadeq coup, just wait until Washington betrays the Green movement.”
Those cautionary words from an Iranian activist were heard on Capitol Hill yesterday at a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing addressing the issue of how the United States can best support [read full story]

China – ‘economically prosperous, ideologically bankrupt’ – not a superpower anytime soon

China may be an increasingly assertive autocratic state, but it is not a superpower and won’t be one anytime soon, argues Minxin Pei.
It has transformed itself from an impoverished and demoralized society into a global economic power, he writes. But demographic trends, environmental degradation, and flagrant corruption are undermining the sustainability of its economic [read full story]

A new EU strategy for democracy support?

 

The world’s biggest spender on democracy and development, the European Union has fashioned a new strategy for improving the coherence and effectiveness of its approaches to democracy support. It represents real progress, says our guest blogger Kimana Zulueta-Fülscher, but the EU still has some way to go, not least in persuading member states to put ideals on [read full story]

Events

November 16, 2009. U.S. Private and Non-U.S. Funding of Media Development, featuring: Anne Nelson, Author, Experimentation and Evolution in Private U.S. Funding of Media Development; Mary Myers, Author, Funding for Media Development by Major Donors Outside the United States. With comments by: Marjorie Rouse, Internews Network. Moderated by: Marguerite Sullivan, Center for International Media Assistance.
As [read full story]

Russia’s political technologists projecting soft power abroad?

Contrary to claims that Russia is weak and in decline, one of the country’s leading political technologists insists that Vladimir Putin has forged a consensus or “value-based reality” that addresses the problems of its very existence and quality of governance.
Aside from resolving critical domestic challenges, Russia has also “helped other new nations in eastern Europe [read full story]

Events

October 14, 2009. Putting Smart Power to Work
The US Global Leadership Coalition is hosting an interactive discussion around the State Department’s new Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR); a blueprint of a smart power approach to U.S. foreign policy. Click here to RSVP. Venue: Willard Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC. Program includes: 8:00 A.M. – Breakfast and Keynote; 9:00 [read full story]

Guinea’s junta nets $7 bn China deal following massacre

A climate of fear prevails in Guinea following the massacre and sexual violence of 28 September when the military attacked a pro-democracy rally in the capital, Conackry. At least 157 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded when soldiers opened fire at 50,000 demonstrators at the national soccer stadium. The government claims that 57 [read full story]

Empire State celebrating communism?

China is getting a reputation for asserting its soft power, intent on promoting a more benign image of the communist state – and countering democratic trends. But who would have thought that New York’s iconic Empire State Building would light up red and yellow in honor of 60 years of Communist Party rule?
The Chinese consul [read full story]

EU best at promoting democracy?

The European Union has a “more cost-effective and sustainable” approach to democratization than the United States, argues Princeton University’s Andrew Moravcsik. He is interviewed on the impressive new Global Europe, an initiative of Ulrich Speck, formerly with RFE/RL.   
“Rather than seeking to transform Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran into democracies using military force, Europe has helped [read full story]

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