Public diplomacy

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna Part of UK in Austria 4th November 2019 Vienna, Austria British education: major visa reform for post-study visas I commend a recent British Council blog, written by Education Director Maddalaine Ansell. Ms Ansell writes about the major reform to post-work study visas for international students which the UK Government has announced will enter into force from 2020. “From next year,” she writes, “students graduating from British higher education institutions with at least an undergraduate degree can apply to stay for two years to work or seek work. If they find skilled work, they can switch into the skilled workers immigration route, which can lead to permanent settlement in the UK.” The change will not directly affect Austrian students, who can already study in the UK for courses starting in the 2020-21 academic year on the same basis ..

"The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Social Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis" analyzes the strong role of Twitter in shaping Pakistan's positive national narrative of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the portion of China's Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) that cuts directly through Pakistan, border-to-border. The authors note that Pakistan's population of 200+ million people is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing social media audiences. “In nearly 70 years of friendship and close cooperation between China and Pakistan, the CPEC has emerged as a climax bringing both countries closer through greater Chinese investment under the BRI," write Ahmed, Rojratanakiat and Taekasem. "Twitter..

Foreign interference in elections: we’ve heard the uproar, read the investigations, and fretted about it at the polling booth. But what lessons have we learned since 2016, and just how worried should we really be? The British Foreign Policy Group presents a lively and provocative panel discussion of experts, exploring the nature and role that foreign interference could play in the forthcoming British and American national elections. Looking at the situation here in Britain, and across the pond to the 2020 US Presidential elections, our panelists will debate how much of a risk foreign interference presents, and discuss how to implement policies to tackle this defining problem in modern democracies. Panelists: Peter Pomerantsev, Senior Fellow, London School of Economics and Political Science and auth..

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna Part of UK in Austria 31st October 2019 Vienna, Austria The Government Art Collection in Vienna The Duke of Wellington stares across the room towards a distant Queen Victoria, while Emperor Franz Josef – sash, ‘tache and all – observes impassively. Not the plot of a historical novel, but the paintings in the dining room at the ambassador’s residence in Vienna. Works from the Government Art Collection (GAC) are displayed in UK Government buildings in nearly every capital city, making it the most dispersed collection of British art in the world. The Collection promotes British art and plays a key role in British cultural diplomacy, delivering an expression of Britain’s culture and its values. Nowhere is this more relevant than in Vienna, a city where appreciation of art and culture flows through everyday life; and where our continuing ..

Skip to content Matt Field British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina 31st October 2019 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Mostar deserves better The British Embassy recently moved its whole operation down to Mostar for a day. In addition to many other activities across the city, we set up a ‘pop-up’ reception in front of the Mepas Mall. This gave the chance for different teams to explain our work – defence cooperation, education, projects, scholarships, consular support, political work, and commercial – to people as they stopped by. Just as importantly, it gave us the chance to ask the citizens of Mostar about their priorities for themselves and the city, the kinds of things that they would like to see change. This is a question we as an Embassy have been asking ourselves and others since I arrived, to try to make sure that our priorities and assistance programmes properly match with the change people in this country want to see. The citizens of BiH are the best judges of how to imp..

Skip to content Paul Brummell Head of Soft Power and External Affairs Department, Communication Directorate 30th October 2019 London,UK MIND YOUR LANGUAGE The Indigenous Peoples’ Memorial is one of the many striking buildings in the Brazilian capital designed by the prolific modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer. Built in a spiral-shaped design around a central courtyard it was apparently inspired by a Yanomami house. In truth, the building is looking a little the worse for wear. The permanent collection was closed when I visited while on holiday in August, but it was still a worthwhile visit, thanks to a display in that central courtyard, installed to commemorate the UN designation of 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Entitled “the Forest of Indigenous Languages”, from the sand-covered courtyard sprouted many wooden poles, each representing a different indigenous language. The poles were of varying heights, since to a standard-height base had been added an addition..

Sada već tako davnog 29. oktobra 1969. godine na UCLA univerzitetu u Kaliforniji, profesor Len Kleinrock i njegov tim poslali su prvu poruku preko...

France Regains #1 Spot: The 2019 Soft Power 30 Oct 24, 2019 France tops the rankings of the newly released 2019 Soft Power 30 index and report, released jointly by strategic communications consultancy Portland Communications, Facebook and CPD. "France reclaims its top spot after a mixed year for the French government," reads the report. "[Macron] doubtless been strengthened by an economy growing at a faster clip than most large, developed countries." The Soft Power 30 methodology considers the following factors when ranking a country's soft power strength: enterprise, culture, digital, government, engagement and education. The release is accompanied by a report that includes dozens of essays by leading experts in soft power, nation branding, global communications and beyond. Now analyzing countries' performance during 2018, the index has seen the U.S. dropping annually in the rankings since the 2015 analysis, when the U.S. placed first. Here's a glance at the top..

Skip to content Leigh Turner Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna Part of UK in Austria 25th October 2019 Vienna, Austria White trees, blue skies and a green plan Have you ever wondered why the trees are painted white in Vienna? To stop cars running into them, protect them from dogs? The special paint protects new bark from the summer sun! Woodland trees don’t require sun cream but the intense environments of our cities means it’s not only humans who need protection from harmful rays. I recently had a wonderful opportunity to meet Austria-based British Tree Surgeon Martin Speariett, whilst he was dangling precariously from a Robinia tree he had been pruning in the Embassy’s garden. He said that increasing the amount of ‘green coverage’ in cities helped regulate temperature and reduce air pollution. More trees meant cleaner air but, in man-made environments, we were responsible for keeping the trees ..

The idea that our “democracy” is under attack by foreign adversaries rings hollow to anyone who thinks about it for more than a second...