WikiLeaks sheds light on US diplomacy domestically and abroad

A cache of a quarter-million confidential American diplomatic cables, most of them from the past three years, provides an unprecedented look at back-room bargaining by embassies around the world, brutally candid views of foreign leaders and frank assessments of nuclear and terrorist threats. The material was originally obtained by WikiLeaks, an organization devoted to revealing…

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Swiss minaret ban a setback for Middle East diplomacy

Switzerland recently passed a controversial referendum to ban minarets in the country, provoking uproar, intense debate and even protest. The move is regarded by many as “deeply divisive,” says UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, as well as a major setback for American and European public diplomacy in the Arab world. Sweden, which…

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    US State Department reaches out to the Muslim world

    A new division opened in the State Department this year: the office of the Special Representative to Muslim Communities. Farah Pandith’s mission is to reach out to the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims. She tells Steve Inskeep the office will influence how Muslims perceive the United States.

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    Obama wins over hearts and minds in Europe

    Barack Obama’s candidacy is winning over hearts and minds in Europe, where his race, youth, and promise of change are raising hopes for a likeable America, once again. German weekly magazine Der Spiegel placed a picture of the Illinois Senator on its February cover under the headline The Messiah Factor. Inside, the magazine discussed Obama…

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      Spanish foreign minister stresses importance Muslim presence in European countries

      Miguel Angel Moratinos, the Spanish foreign minister, stressed the importance of Muslims in European countries and the sharing of a multitude of values, urging a joint fight against discrimination of Muslims in Europe. The head of the Spanish diplomacy stressed in a latter to the director of the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO),…

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