Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute

Introduction Due to the increase in technological advancements worldwide, access to information has also increased dramatically. Details of a particular event can reach a large audience instantaneously. These changes are due to the ever increasing access to the internet and availability of smartphones; resulting in more individuals having access to information through blogs and social media platforms. This article will compare “traditional media” with “New Media” and examine why new media has become an increasingly popular source of information. Along with the advantages of new media, the article will explore the negative effects of new media in society and how civil society organizations can mitigate them whilst using new media to create a more positive impact in Asian societies. “New Media”: the new player in Asian Journalism. New media mainly refers to “computer-enabled media” such as blog sites, instant messaging applications and social media platforms. 1 In Asia, the u...

China has used its pandas to help foster relationships with other countries for more than half a century. This unique way of diplomacy has been practiced by Chinese rulers since the Tang dynasty. The Chinese view the Pandas as a national treasure. Chinese policy makers employed a soft power strategy to improve its relations with countries all over the world by gifting Pandas. These Pandas were gifted to countries like the United States, United Kingdom and the Soviet Union to ease tensions and to build new diplomatic relationships. Yet this all changed when the Panda’s became an endangered species. Now pandas are only loaned to friendly, geopolitically and economically important partner countries of China. From the late 50’s to the early 80’s, China has gifted 28 pandas to nine countries. The First Panda Diplomats Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing were gifted to the United States in 1972. This was a generous gift of friendship offered to the United States by the Chinese government after...

“Without music, life would be a mistake” These were the words spoken by German philosopher and poet; Friedrich Nietzsche. After the end of World War two, Composer and Conductor Igor Markevitch created the the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra as a symbol of hope. In 1950 the U.S State Department promoted jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong to create cross cultural understanding in the middle of a cold war between the Americans and Russians. In 1958 despite his enemy status by the Russians American Pianist Van Cliburn won the first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow and became and adorned figure in Russia. And in 1964 renowed cellist Mstislav Rostropovich played the notes Bach’s Suite No 2 of the praising God for the “miracle” in remembrance of the fall of the Berlin Wall which occurred in 1989. The Ninth Symphony by Beethoven which hailed to be the National Anthem of the European Union had a statement to be made which avowed freedom for the de...