Latest news with #softpower
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Palantir Goons Reportedly Want to Remake Hollywood Into a Libertarian Dream Factory
Rightwing forces in the U.S. have long coveted a key fixture of American liberalism's soft power: Hollywood. The 'dream factory' that deeply influences the ways Americans see themselves and the world around them has often been accused of (perhaps rightfully so) having a liberal bent. Now, it appears that a group with ties to America's military-industrial complex has a plan to take over Tinseltown and mold it in their own image. Semafor writes that a new production company with ties to a current and former executive at Peter Thiel's creepy defense contractor Palantir has its sights set on transforming the entertainment industry into a bastion of neo-conservatism. Founders Films (which sounds a lot like Thiel's Founders Fund, don't you think?) wants to 'co-finance projects, distribute films, and engage in brand partnerships,' Semafor writes. The company wants to produce projects that 'celebrate American military action, push for confrontation with China, and elevate heroes of the right from Rand to Elon Musk,' the outlet notes. Key figures raising money for the firm include Palantir chief technology officer Shyam Sankar, Christian Garrett (whose firm has invested with companies belonging to several MAGA figures, including Palantir, Musk's SpaceX, and Palmer Luckey's Anduril), and Ryan Podolsky, an early employee at Palantir, Semafor writes. The outlet cites a pitch deck for the new production company that gives a good snapshot of what the firm is envisioning for Hollywood's rightwing glow-up. 'The American Brand is broken. Hollywood is AWOL. Movies have become more ideological, more cautious, and less entertaining. Large segments of American and international viewers are underserved. Production costs have soared and sales are flagging,' the deck reportedly reads. The company has also said of its brand: 'Say yes to projects about American exceptionalism, name America's enemies, back artists unconditionally, take risk on novel IP.' Semafor further notes that the company appears to have an interest in telling stories that extol the virtues of America's 'special friend' in the Middle East, Israel: The company brands itself as explicitly pro-American, but many of the projects also celebrate Israel. Founders' proposed film slate also includes Roaring Lion, a movie about the recent attack against Iran, which depicts Israel as 'striving for nuclear non-proliferation and exercising its right of self-defense against a crazed regime intent on destroying it.' Gizmodo did not find a public contact for Founder's Films, but reached out to Palantir for comment. We will update this story when we hear back. Rightwing forces have long sought to demonize 'liberal' Hollywood, most recently by making the industry seem like a QAnon-style cabal of wealthy pedophiles. That said, the perception that Hollywood is a predominantly 'liberal' town is a fairly shallow one. It's worth noting that the industry has gone through many different eras, and that each of those eras was defined by a variety of political influences and postures. It would also be difficult to suggest that Hollywood has never made any nationalistic films or ones that are sympathetic to Israel. Early aughts Hollywood is littered with godawful pieces of filmmaking that reveled in Bush-era nationalism and brain-dead warmongering. In short, it's not like every movie that has come out since 1903 is The Battle of Algiers.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
China Flexes Muscles at U.N. Cultural Agency, Just as Trump Walks Away
Any traveler who has picked up an international guidebook knows the UNESCO designation as shorthand for a must-see cultural destination that's worthy of a detour. But the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has also become the target of an intense Chinese influence campaign in recent years as Beijing has sought to increase its reach over educational curriculums, historical designations and even artificial intelligence. President Trump's decision Tuesday to withdraw the United States from the group removes a powerful check on China's effort, in the latest example of how the White House retreat from international institutions offers an opening for China to advance its soft power. The United States was once the largest UNESCO backer, accounting for nearly 25 cents of every dollar. But Washington has had an on-again-off-again relationship with it for years, especially since Mr. Trump first took office in 2017, and China has stepped up to take its place. A Chinese official is now UNESCO's deputy director general, a post that diplomats said is often awarded in exchange for political or monetary favors. UNESCO has lent support to major priorities for China's top leader, Xi Jinping, including the global infrastructure program known as the Belt and Road Initiative. Beijing has also lobbied heavily for World Heritage designations and is jockeying to surpass Italy as the country with the most culturally significant sites. Some of those sites are in oppressed regions like Tibet and Xinjiang, where many local residents view them as an attempt to appropriate and control their culture and history. And while UNESCO wields tremendous clout over what counts as history, it is also the U.N. agency in charge of setting artificial intelligence guidelines. UNESCO has an agreement with iFlytek, a major Chinese A.I. company, to cooperate on higher education in Asia and Africa, according to Chinese state media. (UNESCO said it has partnerships with many artificial intelligence companies worldwide.) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Zawya
21-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi Arabia's global reputation shifts positively, driven by Vision 2030 and economic diversification
Saudi Arabia's global reputation has seen a significant positive transformation, according to CARMA's 5th Edition of the Kingdom Reputation Report. The report indicates a notable increase in positive sentiment and a decline in negative media coverage, largely attributed to the country's Vision 2030 initiatives, economic diversification, and growing soft power. The latest insights from CARMA's Report include: A Surge in Positive Global Sentiment Positive mainstream media coverage of Saudi Arabia increased by 25% in 2024, compared to the previous year. Since 2020, negative media coverage has declined by 55%, signaling a decisive reputational shift. CARMA's survey, encompassing respondents from the UK, the USA, India, Singapore, and Russia, revealed that 59% expressed positive sentiment towards Saudi Arabia. Additionally, 37% of respondents reported that their views have become more favourable over the past 12 months. Vision 2030 Shaping The Narrative Vision 2030 dominated international discourse in 2024, directly tying into 60% of all global media coverage about Saudi Arabia, the highest share recorded to date. For the first time since 2020, coverage of Saudi Arabia's economic and social transformation under Vision 2030 has outpaced political discourse. Events, Tourism and Entertainment Drive Global Interest Media coverage of Saudi Arabia's economy rose by 77% in 2024, driven by events like the Future Investment Initiative (FII)LEAP tech conference, and World Defense Show. Tourism and entertainment media coverage increasing by 60% compared to 2023, representing a strong rebound and highlighting Saudi Arabia's growing appeal as a destination. While overall media volume on sports decreased by 7%, it still accounts for 11% of all media coverage, maintaining its significant influence. High profile sports events, such as the announcement of hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup, continue to generate headlines and build international connections. Influencing the Influencers Influential figures like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, MrBeast, and Elon Musk amplified engagement through their posts, showcasing Saudi Arabia's evolving cultural, sporting, and entertainment landscape. Saudi Arabia's leadership emerged as influential figures in global media, widely portrayed in a positive light for driving transformative reforms, advancing landmark mega-projects, and deepening regional diplomacy. The public survey found that 59% of respondents were interested in visiting Saudi Arabia, 60% would consider doing business there, and52% were open to working in the Kingdom. CARMA's report, which utilizes AI analysis, sentiment tracking, human interpretation, and considers international media, influential social voices, multi-market public surveys, and AI-driven search trends, provides a comprehensive view of Saudi Arabia's evolving perception. This shift reflects global recognition of Saudi Arabia's determined efforts toward economic, social, and cultural reinvention. About CARMA Expertly helping PR and communications professionals demonstrate the value of their work, CARMA collaborates with both global brands and local organisations across a diverse range of industries. CARMA equips PR and communications professionals with the data, insights, and context needed to make better-informed business technology provides the most comprehensive monitoring of print, broadcast, online and social media in every continent, across 130+ content partners and 100+ languages. Discover CARMA's suite of solutions, our team, and the work we do. Joumana El Tarabulsi Group Account Director, Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy Email: Joumana@ Ahmed Dahduli Managing Director, CARMA – Riyadh Email: For inquiries and more information, please contact
ABC News
20-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Lowy Institute South-East Asia aid map reveals retreat of US and Europe from Australia's region
China is expected to fill a gap in aid funding to South-East Asia as the Trump administration dismantles United States development programs worldwide. The Lowy Institute's latest South-East Asia aid map warns some of the region's poorest countries, including Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Timor-Leste, will suffer due to $US60 billion ($92 billion) worth of aid cuts from the US. China would "continue to play a really big role as the region's infrastructure provider," said Grace Stanhope, a research associate with the Lowy Institute's Indo-Pacific Development Centre, who co-authored the report. "Infrastructure is certainly a soft power tool that China has used not only throughout South-East Asia, but in the Pacific, South Asia, all over the world," she said. Lowy's report cited China's construction of high-speed rail between the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Bandung, as well as funding for Malaysia's East Coast Rail Link. Due to a delay in the public release of data, Lowy's report focused on the situation in 2023, since when major geopolitical shifts have occurred, not least due to the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House. After returning to office in early 2025, Mr Trump moved to abolish the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which had previously provided over 40 per cent of humanitarian funding worldwide. Major European development providers such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden — as well as the European Union — have also withdrawn some $US25 billion ($38 billion) from their aid budgets. Despite enduring poverty and reliance on external aid for its economic survival, Cambodia saw Sweden end its bilateral aid program in 2024. Lowy's analysis found that while spending for humanitarian aid responses to natural disasters in South-East Asia had increased, support for longer-term climate adaptation in the region remained inadequate. Yet, she said Western nations had not made good on financial pledges for middle and low-income countries to aid their transition to clean energy. "If that support is not being delivered, we're at political risk of being perceived as not following through on our promises," she said. The world's entire aid and development system had been "rewritten and rebuilt" over the past six months, Ms Stanhope said. The Australian Council for International Development's head of policy and advocacy, Jessica Mackenzie, recently told the ABC's Pacific Beat that the US was previously the top contributor to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, which would also have major flow-on effects. "A lot of projects are still coming down the line that are going to be cancelled from those [institutions]," she said. "The US was working on a lot of projects with DFAT [Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] … as soon as that US funding is stripped, the whole project stops. The ABC revealed last week that the US had returned $1.5 million to DFAT, which Australia had provided to USAID to deliver a clean water project in Indonesia. Still, the Lowy analysis noted that South Korea and Japan remained major aid donors to South-East Asia. Ms Stanhope said the East Asian democracies had larger development programs than Australia and were able to use public finance to lend to South-East Asian countries to develop sectors such as energy, transport, and communications. "Australia can stick to doing our more traditional, very human-based development, and we can trust that for the infrastructure and the bigger-spending, more visible [projects] … Japan and Korea are very trusted partners," she said. Australia's expenditure on overseas development assistance is among the lowest of comparable rich countries, providing 19 cents for every $100 of national income in 2024, according to Oxfam Australia. "Outside of the OECD, Australia trails behind countries like Malta and Croatia, who give more as a proportion of their economies," Oxfam Australia's acting head Chrisanta Muli said earlier this year. But Ms Stanhope said Australia continued to play an important regional role, for example by being the largest development provider to Timor-Leste and running specialist programs focused on gender, climate, and disability.
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
PETER VAN ONSELEN: How Xi buttered up Anthony Albanese with a VERY rare personal gesture to Jodie Haydon - and it left the PM beaming
Anthony Albanese has just wrapped up a six-day diplomatic tour of China. It may go down as one of the most carefully orchestrated charm offensives Beijing has ever launched at an Australian leader. It had everything: soft power symbolism, panda photo ops, nostalgic Aussie rock ballads and even a surprise starring role for the Prime Minister's fiancée, Jodie Haydon. Forget shouting into megaphones. This was diplomacy by lunch invitation and curated playlists, and it seems to have worked. Albanese looked less like a wary Western leader managing a complex bilateral relationship and more like a man thoroughly enjoying all the flattery. At the centre of the spectacle was his meeting (and a private lunch, no less) with President Xi Jinping. Not only did Xi extend the diplomatic red carpet, he also invited Jodie to join the lunch soirée, a gesture rarely offered to visiting leaders' partners. For Albanese, it was a clear signal of Beijing's intent to present a warmer, more open face of Chinese diplomacy. 'It was a sign of respect to Australia', he proudly said. But it was more than a simple diplomatic nod. The presence of Haydon, seated beside Xi and Albo in the opulent Great Hall, was China's way of saying 'we're not just wooing your government'. With Albo expected to marry later this year, this was Beijing's version of 'meet the parents'. Xi wasn't just trying to charm a PM, he was buttering up the presumptive First Lady too. And then came the soundtrack. During a gala dinner with Chinese and Australian business leaders, a band played a setlist straight out of Albanese's youth: Paul Kelly's To Her Door, Midnight Oil's Power and the Passion, even a rendition of Powderfinger. This wasn't random, it was meticulously chosen to speak to Albo's political identity: the working-class music fan from inner Sydney who likes to DJ. Maybe China will be on their honeymoon list? 'They did it very well', Albo beamed. 'Those gestures matter', he added. Beijing understood that the personal is political and hit every note. One could almost hear the Stratocaster guitar strings being pulled. The whole trip had an undercurrent of Labor nostalgia, too. Albanese's visit to the Great Wall was a not-so-subtle nod to his political hero Gough Whitlam, who made history there in 1973 when he re-established relations with China. For Albo, this trip was a symbolic full circle moment: the current Labor leader retracing Whitlam's footsteps, casting himself as a statesman with vision, even if the present-day geopolitical environment is arguably considerably more fraught. But for all the pageantry, the PM still has to justify the trip back home, particularly to those more interested in cost of living pressures than Communist Party pleasantries. When asked what the trip meant for average Australians, Albo said: 'From Beijing to Bankstown, what we need is to engage in our national interest…to be focused on cost-of-living, on jobs, on living standards. And that depends on our trade'. China is Australia's largest trading partner. Alongside the formal talks, Albo also visited the Sichuan International Tennis Centre, no coincidence for a PM with a long standing love of the sport. Then came a stop at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, China's crown jewel of soft diplomacy. There, he admired the pandas. 'They're beautiful animals', he said as cameras clicked. The entire visit was a textbook case of soft power in action: China using symbolism, sentiment and star pandas to reframe the bilateral relationship. From the music to the animals to the guest list at lunch, every gesture had the purpose of reminding Australia of the benefits of good behaviour as the Middle Kingdom's rise continues. Still, beneath the smiling photo ops, deeper questions remain. What concessions might Australia now feel pressure to make in return for this reset? And how will this trip age if tensions inevitably flare again, over Taiwan, the South China Sea or human rights? For nowm Albo returns home with a diplomatic win, alongside a panda selfie or two for the family album.
