Cultural Diplomacy News
CD Statements
Massacre in Syria: can soft power or cultural diplomacy play any role here?
This weekend another 100 were brutally massacred in Syria including the stabbing and axing of nearly 50 children. The U.N. Security Council condemns it, of course, but can soft power or cultural diplomacy play any role here? Or is it only a matter for hard power and military intervention? I would be grateful for your … Continue reading
Comment on Cultural Diplomacy by Dr. Nazar al Baharna (Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain)
By Dr. Nazar al Baharna (Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain; ICD Advisory Board Member) Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I will meet you there.” – Jalal Ad-Din Rumi For thousands of years, it was the nature of human beings to use violence to settle their ultimate differences. Likewise, … Continue reading
The Importance of Cultural Diplomacy
By Erna Hennicot Schoepges (Vice Chairman of the ICD Advisory Board; Former Minister of Culture of Luxembourg) Whether the emerging European Dream can offer an alternative vision more able to accommodate the tumultuous changes occurring in the world today, from the globalization of the economy and rising unemployment to the spread of religious terrorism, remains to … Continue reading
Comment on Cultural Diplomacy – Clive Myrie (BBC Reporter)
“There was no applause, just stunned silence.” The words of Jonathan Powell the Chief of Staff to Tony Blair when the British Prime Minister, the leader of the Republic of Ireland and representatives of the Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland hammered out the Good Friday Agreement. The deal paved the way for peace in the province … Continue reading
Comment on Cultural Diplomacy – By H.E Amb. Gebhardt von Moltke (ICD Advisory Board Member –Former German Ambassador to the UK and NATO)
Cultural diplomacy has been for long an important part of international relations. Governments and their cultural institutes like Goethe, Cervantes, Institut Francais or British Council have a long tradition to bringing their countries´culture to other countries and people. Personally, in my years in London I have laid a great emphasis on public and cultural diplomacy … Continue reading
Comment on Cultural Diplomacy By The Hon. Rex Rexhep Meidani (ICD Advisory Board Member – Former President of Albania)
The main goal of cultural diplomacy is to enable cultural dialogue across the world; to create constructive relationships, to ameliorate communication and cooperation, to prevent misunderstanding, and to reduce socio-cultural conflicts and their consequences. Cultural diplomacy is certainly not a new concept. In fact, throughout the many centuries of human history, exploration and trade have … Continue reading
Comment on Cultural Diplomacy By H. E. Amb. Paula Dobriansky (Former Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs)
The USA Meets Europe’s (USAME) “Forum for Young Leaders”, supported by the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, is a meaningful and productive program that empowers the next generation. As former Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, and director of the Washington Office of the Council of Foreign Relations, I have witnessed firsthand how integral … Continue reading
Cultural Diplomats Of All Countries Unite! – A Statement by Dr. Jacques F. Poos (Former Deputy Prime minister of Luxemburg)
Analysing the fundamental changes which occurred during the past eleven years of this new century, it appears that the use of cultural diplomacy or soft power, as opposed to the use of hard power, could have prevented many human tragedies. Close to us are the Arab Spring and the sovereign debt crisis, neither of which … Continue reading
The Case for Cultural Diplomacy: Singapore, ASEAN & Beyond – By Yaw Shin Leong; Member of the Singapore Parliament (ICD Advisory Board Member & President of ICD Singapore)
Preamble Cultural Diplomacy has been in existence since time immemorial. Traders, pilgrims, explorers, musicians and artisans can be considered examples of informal ambassadors or cultural diplomats. The establishment of trade routes and trading centers enabled frequent exchanges of ideas, information and gifts between individuals. Perhaps in recent memory, the idea of ‘Cultural Diplomacy’ might be … Continue reading
What´s Cultural Diplomacy – A comment by Dr. Erkki Tuomioja (ICD Advisory Board Member – Finnish Foreign Minister)
What do we actually mean when talking about hard and soft power? The Wikipedia, the instantly accessed online encyclopedia, says “Soft power is the ability to obtain what you want through co-option and attraction. This is in contrast to ‘hard power’, which is the use of coercion and payment”. Joseph S. Nye, has used a … Continue reading
