I was the US soft power czar. Our popularity may never recover | Richard Stengel Trump’s venal persona and his war on Iran will do untold damage to America’s ability to make a positive difference in the world

Richard Stengel: “I was the US soft power czar. Our reputation may never recover from this” #GI7100 #GI5052

As a #statevisit looms … can King Charles tame Trump? #GI7037 #GI5052 www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Iranian diplomatic X accounts trolling Donald Trump #digitaldiplomacy #GI5052

The cable instructs those embassies and consulates to pursue five broad goals: countering hostile messaging, expanding access to information, exposing adversary behavior, elevating local voices who support American interests, and promoting what it calls “telling America’s story”. Embassies are told to recruit local influencers, academics and community leaders abroad to carry counter-propaganda messaging, an approach designed to make American-funded narratives feel locally organic rather than centrally directed.

Well look at that! The Trump administration has just discovered the need to engage in #publicdiplomacy
#GI7100 #GI5052 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

LEGO Diplomacy: What 1,476 Bricks Tell Us About Trade and Public Diplomacy In December 2025, at the long-awaited inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen presented his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel Aty, with a gif…

A #GI5052 student considers the role of Lego in Denmark's public and trade diplomacy, citing @geoffpigman.bsky.social in particular

The World Cup Meets the War on Immigrants On December 5th, 2025, while FIFA President Gianni Infantino draped a gold medal around Donald Trump’s neck inside Washington’s Kennedy Center, awarding him a freshly invented “FIFA Peace Prize”, w…

A #GI5052 student's thoughts on the public diplomacy and polylateral dimensions of the forthcoming World Cup

Taliban’s Message to Westerners: Welcome In! Afghanistan was once an important stop on the ‘Hippie Trail,’ an alternative tourism style underwent by Westerners seeking cheaper travel and more personal immersion. Most routes began …

A #GI5052 student reflects on dark humour in public diplomacy, Taliban style

Trump’s Board of Peace Makes Strange Bedfellows in Planning Gaza’s Future The Board of Peace is an intergovernmental global peacekeeping institution founded by US President Donald Trump, first proposed in September of 2025 and established in January of 2026. The Board (o…

A student's reflections on Trump's Board of Peace #GI5052

“The application of tact and intelligence” this is not #GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037

How ignorance, misunderstanding and obfuscation ended Iran nuclear talks Negotiators had reached agreement on key issues despite Trump team’s idiosyncratic approach. Two days later, war began

How ignorance, misunderstanding and obfuscation ended Iran nuclear talks
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037 #negotiation

Voice of America employees can return to work. Up yours, Elon Musk
#GI7100 #GI5052

Accommodation and procedural issues at the #multilateral negotiations leading to the Treaty of Westphalia
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037

Trump illegally used executive power to impose global tariffs, supreme court rules Ruling is blow to Trump’s bold assertions of authority and topples key pillar of aggressive economic agenda

Trump illegally used executive power to impose global tariffs, supreme court rules
#GI5052 #tradediplomacy

How America Lost Its Voice Overseas Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other outlets spread American values for 80 years, writes Joshua Muravchik. Now they’ve been mothballed.

How #America Lost Its Voice Overseas, by Joshua Muravchik
#GI7100 #GI5052 #GI6051

BBC World Service faces funding cliff edge in seven weeks, says Tim Davie As trust in Russia and China’s state broadcasters grows, director general warns of the dangers of cutting back the service

So much for 'Global Britain', so much for British #softpower #GI7100 #GI5052 #UK

Two senior Norwegian diplomats being investigated over Epstein links Financial crimes squad investigate husband and wife in connection to alleged relationship with late sex offender

The husband and wife Norwegian team who helps kickstart the Oslo Peace process are being investigated for their links to Epstein #GI4059 #GI5052

Feminising diplomatic work: Driving devaluation? Bahar Rumelili and Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm discuss the key points from their new RIS article.

Bahar Rumelili and Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm discuss their new article, 'Feminising diplomatic work: Driving devaluation?' courtesy of @mybisa.bsky.social
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037

Opposition to US has hardened in western Europe after Greenland threat, poll finds Large majorities in six nations express antipathy to Trump’s US and support European self-assertion

Trump’s trashing of Brand America revealed in European surveys
#GI7100 #GI5052 #nationbrand

#GI7100 #GI5052 #UK #broadcasting #iran

Taiwan could use more food diplomacy - Taipei Times Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

‘Taiwan could use more food diplomacy,’ by Paul Rockower (@levantine18.bsky.social)
#GI7100 #GI5052 #gastrodiplomacy

Sports diplomacy, of a sort
#GI5052 #GI7100

Trump links Greenland dispute to not getting Nobel Peace Prize, in letter to Norway's PM The US president says he no longer feels obliged to think only of peace, after not being awarded the annual prize.

"I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace": not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has really stuck in Trump's loose turkey-neck-like craw
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037 #GI7100

UK’s image overseas This report shows the UK results of the latest annual Anholt Nation Brands Index study, which ranks 50 nations on a range of attributes including some relating to tourism, culture and people.

How the world sees the #UK (according to Anholt's Nation Brands Index 2025) #GI7100 #GI5052 #brand

#Brand America
#GI7100 #GI5052

Bitter rows and overnight talks: how a fragile Cop30 deal was agreed – podcast After bitter arguments, threatened walkouts and heated all-night negotiations, delegates eventually reached a deal this weekend at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil. To unpick what was achieved and w...

Bitter rows and overnight talks: how a fragile #Cop30 deal was agreed – podcast #GI5052 #GI7037 #environment

BBC Inside Science - What’s in the wording of the COP 30 negotiations? - BBC Sounds As COP 30 draws to close in Brazil, we speak to a former negotiator.

Inside COP climate change negotiations: a good interview with Camilla Born, former advisor to the COP26 president, starting just after four minutes in #GI5052 #GI7037 #environmentaldiplomacy

Compromises, voluntary measures and no mention of fossil fuels: key points from Cop30 deal A deal is welcome after talks nearly collapsed but the final agreement contains small steps rather than leaps

Compromises, voluntary measures and no mention of fossil fuels: key points from Cop30 deal #GI5052 #environment

G20: Will Trump’s no-show eclipse South Africa’s moment? The host nation's goal of advocating for developing nations may be overshadowed by the absence of the US president.

G20: Will Trump’s no-show eclipse South Africa’s moment? #summit #GI5052 #GI7037

The top 15 in the 2025 Nation Brands Index #GI7100 #GI5052 #brand static1.squarespace.com/static/673b9...

A check-in on the American brand The American brand has attracted people and businesses to this country for decades. What happens if it changes?

What is happening to brand America? #GI7100 #GI5052