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Over the past two decades, Thailand has pulled off one of the most impressive rebrands in modern diplomacy. Where the country was once widely associated with sex tourism, it’s now seen as a global foodie destination. With warm, spicy and rich dishes paired with welcoming people and beautiful landscapes fit for family holidays. And at the heart of this transformation? A humble plate of Pad Thai.

The Soft Power of Street Food

Back in 2002, the Thai government quietly launched an initiative called the Global Thai Programme. The idea was simple but ambitious: increase the number of Thai restaurants around the world and use them as unofficial ambassadors of Thai culture. In other words, win hearts through stomachs.

The government offered support for Thai chefs and entrepreneurs to open restaurants abroad. They even designed restaurant templates and sent chefs overseas with training and branding materials. It wasn’t just about the food; it was about showcasing Thailand.

It worked. Thai restaurants popped up across the globe, bringing not just green curry and mango sticky rice, but also Thai values: hospitality, balance, attention to detail. These restaurants became windows into the country’s soul.

But this strategy goes back even further. In the 1930s, during a wave of nation-building, Thailand’s then-prime minister promoted Pad Thai as a national dish. It was easy to make, affordable, and crucially based on local ingredients like rice noodles, peanuts, and tamarind. The goal was to foster national pride and support Thai farmers. With time this simple dish became a global staple and synonymous with Thai cuisine.

Pad Thai

Pad Thai was created to change consumption habits in Thailand. It aimed to shift consumption away from rice which was a major export at the time, to using noodles which were cheaply made using domestic ingredients to boost local agriculture.

Pad Thai was originally made with tofu as the main source of protein due to its high nutritional value and its cheap cost. Combining other classic Thai flavours of tamarind, fish sauce, peanuts dried shrimp and lime it gained quickly in popularity. Now variations exist using more extravagant ingredients like chicken and prawns.

The naming of pad Thai came from the recently renamed Kingdom of Siam and was used to ingrain the new Thai identity. Thailand means land of the free and this dish accompanied this change.

Thanks to the vast amount of Thai and Asian supermarkets scattered across the globe pad Thai is easily made at home. Using mainly inexpensive ingredients and quick cooking time it’s an easy staple to prepare for a week night dinner.

What It Did for Tourism and Thai Farmers

Fast forward to today, pad Thai and Thai food in general among the most beloved cuisines in the world. This not only had a great impact on tourism and the image of Thailand, but it also had a huge impact on the Thai agricultural sector.

As more people fell in love with Thai food abroad, they started getting curious about the country itself. Gastro-tourism exploded. Tourists came not just for beaches and temples, but for food tours in Bangkok, cooking classes in Chiang Mai, and street food safaris in every corner of the country.

This was great news for tourism and even better news for Thai farmers. The global demand for Thai ingredients like jasmine rice, lemongrass, and coconut milk meant rural communities could tap into new export markets. And when tourists ventured out into the countryside to visit spice farms or rice paddies, local economies felt the benefits directly. Food became a bridge between urban and rural Thailand. More importantly it became a bridge between Thailand and the world.

What Other Countries Can Learn

So, can other countries do the same? Absolutely but it takes more than a great recipe.

Thailand’s success came from thinking long-term, investing in a clear cultural product. The authenticity of the product was the key to success. The food wasn’t watered down to please everyone. Instead, it stayed proudly Thai and that’s what made it stand out.

Importantly, Thailand didn’t have to rely on a large diaspora to spread its cuisine. That’s good news for smaller or less globally connected nations. It shows that with the right support and strategy, even a relatively small country can make a global splash.

The Thai model also highlights the importance of linking cultural exports with economic inclusion. When food diplomacy is done right, it doesn’t just boost tourism it supports farmers, empowers women, encourages sustainability, and brings global attention to local traditions.

In today’s world, national identity is often communicated less through flags and anthems, and more through what’s on the table. Thailand figured that out early and cooked up something truly powerful. Thai food represents the strong food culture in its region but with better branding than the others.

The post From Street Food to Soft Power: How Pad Thai Became Thailand’s Global Ambassador appeared first on SharedPond.

By Nathan Seigner

On the 19^th of May, the UK will host a summit designed to discuss important matters with the EU. This is the first time such a summit has occurred since the UK left the Union in 2020. Touted as the Brexit Summit this is an important bilateral meeting where top issues will be discussed. Security will unsurprisingly be at the top of the agenda, along with trade matters and a potential youth mobility scheme.

This signals a shift in UK foreign policy with Starmer’s Labour government more open to UK-EU collaboration than the Conservative predecessors. But what exactly does this entail?

Security

Security is undoubtedly going to be the focus of the meeting. Since Russia launched their invasion of Ukraine in 2022 security has been a priority. This has been heightened through the instability caused by the Trump administration and has so far been the area which has seen the most EU-UK cooperation.

Although there has been a lot of meetings on this topic, the summit creates the opportunity to for the UK to formally join the EU on a security pact. This could allow the UK to participate in the EU’s joint arms procurement scheme. This scenario would benefit both parties as it would allow the UK to benefit from the economies of scales in the procurement of arms. This would also allow the UK to strengthen its security ties with the EU, something Starmer has put at the centre of his foreign policy.

On the EU front, this would increase the pool of firms that produce arms and tap into UK operational experience. This makes such a deal seem likely and positive outcome for all parties involved. There are some drawbacks, most notably Labour’s cautious approach to foreign policy which could limit the extent and impact of the pact.

Trade

Trade will undoubtedly be a high priority of the summit. Since Brexit imposed trade barriers on EU-UK trade, imports and exports have seen a decline. This is due to the additional red tape that UK firms now had to pay when trading with the EU. The UK still feels the serious economic impact to this day.

A deal that reduces trade barriers with their biggest trading partner would be hugely beneficial for the UK economy and could give Starmer another trade win following recent deals with India and the US. This once again seems like a logical win-win scenario for the parties involved. This would potentially expand on the current EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement that was signed following Brexit. This deal prevented a no deal Brexit and allowed continued trading between the EU and UK. However, there is clearly a lot of space to expand on it. Making trade smoother through reduction of barriers and red tape seems like a mutually beneficial goal.

Having the UK join the customs union is the most straight-forward way to achieve this. It would allow the UK to have increased market access without all the red tape while not having free movement of people that Single Market membership would entail. Politicians in the UK backed this proposal, most notably Davies, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third party of the UK parliament. Starmer and Labour have actively opposed this, making it unlikely, but they could pursue smaller, more targeted deals instead. This will most likely include new deals on fisheries which has been a long-standing dispute. It depends on what each party’s goal in these negotiations are as the EU could look to make concessions with fisheries in order to gain increased access to UK financial services.

Youth Mobility Scheme

This leads to the most interesting and uncertain policies discussed at the Summit. As previously mentioned, the UK rejoining the single market is unlikely. This is due to the free movement of people, one of the most prolific Brexit talking points. However there have been discussions about a potential youth mobility scheme that would allow young Brits to live in the EU and allow young Europeans the same.

This gives Starmer a chance at a political win in the eyes of the British youth who have been repeatedly let down. It is unclear what this will exactly entail as there are many ways that such a scheme could be implemented. Current political pressure in the UK has seen labour announce a crackdown in immigration. The UK government uses net migration to monitor levels of people entering the country and this deal could ease it by allowing young Brits to go live in Europe which will cause a drop in net migration. It is unsure what this deal will hold but the EU has been insistent on creating a framework that allows easier access to the EU for British young professionals.

A Return to Normality?

These are exciting options for rebuilding EU-UK relations post-Brexit but there are some clear roadblocks to success. Firstly, political pressure in the UK has shaped the actions of this current Labour government. Starmer has lightly pandered to the right-wing of the country on issues such as immigration. This is a clear block on a potential youth mobility scheme.

This is also clear with Starmer’s approach to the US and the Trump administration. Starmer has prioritised UK-US relations over UK-EU relations, a move that makes little economic sense. The UK trades three times more with the EU than the US. This prioritisation of the US may be for increased defence guarantees which have become unstable during Trump’s second term. This seems misplaced as the one domain the UK has worked the most on with the EU is defence.

The mostly likely reason for this remains on public opinion. Since Brexit there has been a shift in priorities in foreign relations away from the EU towards the US. The half-baked trade deal the UK signed with the US displays this perfectly. This may be the factor that jeopardises the full potential of the summit. This is where the importance of the summit lies; it’s a chance to reset an important mutually beneficial partnership.

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When we think of sustainability, we often picture solar panels, bike lanes, or tree-lined streets. But hidden in plain sight are some of the smallest and most powerful allies in the push for a greener future: pollinators.

Bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and even some birds and bats play a critical role in maintaining ecosystems by enabling plant reproduction. Globally, over 75% of food crops depend to some extent on animal pollination (IPBES, 2016). Without pollinators, the diversity and stability of our food systems—and by extension, our urban ecosystems—would be at serious risk.

Why Pollinators Matter for Urban Sustainability

In cities, pollinators contribute to multiple aspects of sustainability:

• Biodiversity: Supporting pollinators helps maintain diverse plant life, which in turn supports broader ecosystems.

• Food security: Urban agriculture—rooftop gardens, community plots, orchards—relies on pollinators for fruit and vegetable production.

• Climate resilience: Diverse green spaces with native flowering plants can withstand climate shocks better and support ecosystem services like air purification and water retention.

• Human well-being: Pollinator-friendly landscapes—colorful, flowering, and biodiverse—enhance mental health, aesthetic value, and community engagement.

A Decline with Consequences

However, pollinator populations are in steep decline due to habitat loss, pesticide use, pollution, invasive species, and climate change (Potts et al., 2010). Cities, paradoxically, can become both refuges and risks for pollinators, depending on how urban environments are planned.

What Can Cities Do?

Local governments, planners, and residents can take action by:

• Creating pollinator corridors: continuous stretches of flowering plants through parks, roadsides, and green roofs.

• Banning or limiting pesticide use in urban gardening and landscaping.

• Planting native and diverse plant species that bloom throughout the year.

• Including pollinator habitats in urban greening policies, like those promoted in the EU’s Nature Restoration Law.

Final Thought

Pollinators are more than a symbol of spring—they’re a foundation of sustainable urban life. By integrating pollinator-friendly practices into urban design and policy, cities can become not only greener, but also more resilient and life-supporting for all species, humans included.

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Yet while the legislative focus often emphasizes biodiversity and climate resilience, a broader question remains largely underexplored: what do urban green spaces really provide to cities and their inhabitants? To answer this, we must look beyond the visible greenery and examine the ecosystem services (ESS) they deliver—benefits that are often overlooked in planning and policy debates.

What Are Ecosystem Services (ESS)?

Ecosystem Services refer to the multiple benefits that natural and semi-natural ecosystems provide to people. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), these are typically grouped into four key categories:

1. Provisioning Services – tangible goods like food and water. In cities, examples include community gardens or foraging landscapes.

2. Regulating Services – such as temperature moderation, air purification, stormwater management, and carbon sequestration.

3. Cultural Services – non-material benefits like mental well-being, recreation, and social cohesion.

4. Supporting Services – underpinning all others, including soil formation, pollination, and nutrient cycling.

Urban green spaces—whether large parks, pocket gardens, green roofs, or vegetated streetscapes—contribute to all of these in diverse ways. A systematic review by Gómez-Baggethun & Barton (2013) found that urban green infrastructure plays a vital role in regulating urban microclimates, improving air and water quality, and providing psychological benefits.

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The impact of Trump and his 51^st state rhetoric was cataclysmic on the outcome of the election. The Conservative leader Poilievre was branded as the Canadian Trump during his 2024 rise. This ultimately was a key factor in his failure to win the election. It cannot be understated how important Trudeau stepping down was for the Liberals to win the election. These two factors culminated in a Liberal win, although they will lead as a minority government. This also saw a Conservative collapse, despite the increase in seats. One that saw their leader lose his seat in Carleton for the first time in 21 years.

How does this result affect the EU? Carney is a best-case scenario for the EU. He aligns well in values which is vital in a changing world order. His profile is what makes him so interesting. He built strong global and European connections throughout his distinguished career in finance. First as Governor of the Bank of Canada and later as Governor of the Bank of England. This makes him a true technocrat, a world away from the Trump administration filled with news anchors and businessmen.

We already know somewhat what to expect from his tenure as prime minister from the trial period after Trudeau stepped down. The guarantee is that Carney will stand up to Trump, he has made this very clear. Unlike world leaders who have set out to appease Trump to gain tariff relief, Carney has made it clear that this is not his strategy.

This leaves the EU in a very interesting position. Carney is the favourable candidate for the EU27 and he will facilitate open trade, maintain liberal values and continue a strong partnership with one major caveat; his priorities. Carney and Canada have their plate full with the US right now, and understandably so. Trump and his administration have continually alluded to annexing Canada and making it the 51^st state. This has caused the decline of one of the strongest international friendships. Europe needs to step up and work closely with Canada to be that friend.

As the EU navigates a world in which the diplomatic influence of the US is changing dramatically, there is a chance to make a real statement with EU-Canada relations. Current trade between the US and Canada has become increasingly volatile. The US is a huge trade partner of Canada accounting for a significant share of their trade. This includes high levels of agricultural exports necessary to feed Canada. The EU, always looking to export, could fill some of these gaps and provide Canada with high quality and more stable trade, something I’m sure Carney and his government would welcome.

Beyond trade this is a big chance for the EU and the EU27 to show their intentions on the global stage by supporting the new Canadian government. The EU needs to be the ones to extend the branch in these uncertain times for our transatlantic allies. Trying to appease Trump is a futile effort. This is the EU’s chance to make a statement about their intentions in a world of Trump diplomacy, to strengthen their friendship with one of the true value allied countries in the world.

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