The Road to Asian Unity
Asia’s lack of institutions to ameliorate regional tensions is often lamented. But greater Asian unity may be arising by the backdoor, in the form of new and impressive infrastructure links. Read Here – Project Syndicate
Tag: soft power
The Global Indian
No other country has anything like it – an annual jamboree of its diaspora, conducted with great fanfare by its government. India has been doing it, with great success, for a decade, timed to recall the return to India of the most famous Indian expatriate of them all, Mahatma Gandhi, who alighted from his South […]
Destined To Fail: China’s Soft Power Push
In a little noticed event on New Year’s Day, China inaugurated its first non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of soft power—China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA). Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi attended and spoke at the unveiling ceremony for the group, which elected as its president Li Zhaoxing, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of China’s National People’s Congress. Addressing the group […]
U.S. Message to the BRICS: No More Mr. Nice Guy
As a general proposition, it is refreshing to hear an American talk about “soft power.” Especially outside U.S. borders, in “old” Europe and the “new” emerging markets, hope inevitably rises that the United States is finally wising up. People there have long been befuddled by the United States’ penchant over the past decade to focus […]
Shrinking U.S. Film Business Looks Good to China’s Wang
What comes next for China’s ambitious Dalian Wanda Group, one of the country’s largest entertainment and commercial real estate companies? Fresh on the heels of its September $2.6 billion acquisition of AMC Entertainment, the Beijing-based private company plans to buy a British business early next year (more details to come on whether it will be […]
Coming to America
Last November, Michelle Makori, a business reporter formerly of Bloomberg News, joined a small group of seasoned Western television journalists for a whirlwind tour of China. The trip, arranged by China Central Television (CCTV), the world’s largest broadcaster, culminated in a visit to the network’s two headquarters: on the quiet, far west side of Beijing, […]
Can U.S. Still Lead In Economic And ‘Soft’ Power?
At Monday night’s foreign policy debate, the first round of questions for the presidential candidates will involve “America’s role in the world.” The answers from President Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney likely will focus on military readiness and anti-terrorism efforts. That’s what most Americans would expect to hear, given that their country has been […]
By Clamping Down On London Metropolitan University, Britain Is Putting Its Best Export – Education – In Peril
The fiasco at London Metropolitan is making every university with non-EU students sit up and rub its eyes. While British people of all ethnicities may well be becoming more hawkish on immigration, the proposed clampdown on student visas seems designed to appeal to those whose idea of Britain is not imaginative or comprehensive. Read Here – The […]
How Facebook Can Still Rule the Internet Economy
The unrelenting negative reports about Facebook Inc. (FB) are enough to rattle even the true believers among us. Yet it would be premature to despair over the company’s long-term viability and health. Facebook is still potentially the most valuable information-based business. It had 955 million monthly active users at the end of June, and benefits from a tremendous […]
Food Diplomacy – Cheeseburger Pizzas, Designer French Fries and a Post-war Cinnabon: Fast Food’s Booming Middle East Market
What few Americans knew is that the Arab World‘s love for Western-branded fast food is seemingly bottomless, to the extent that in the region’s wealthiest oil exporting countries, high-end fast food restaurants offering $US40 hamburgers and French fries can find a willing clientele. Even ubiquitous brands such as McDonald’s and Burger King can sell their […]
looking beyond borders 