With its image battered by the conflict in Ukraine, Russia is accelerating its push to rebuild, modernize and expand its Soviet-era foreign media apparatus. One country of focus is Germany, the European economic powerhouse that has both close ties to Russia and rising public resentment of the U.S. 

Tags: russia, propaganda, united states, germany, information network, global image

At first glance, it seems obvious -- of course Twitter and YouTube have the right to take down a video showing the American journalist, James Foley, being beheaded. The question is why taking it down is controversial at all. The answer, I think, shows how important services like Twitter have become, and how this has thrust unexpected responsibilities onto them.

Tags: isis, twitter, youtube, social media, james foley, free speech

Recently, there has been a great deal of debate, and no small amount of axe grinding, regarding the mission and the effectiveness of U.S. international broadcasting under the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

Tags: united states, voice of america, broadcasting board of governors, international broadcasting, voa, bbg, diplomacy, national security, media

It's been the social media hit of the summer — some of the world's biggest celebrities dousing themselves with buckets of ice water to raise money for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Tags: celebrity diplomacy, als, ice bucket challenge, unicef, bill gates, aid diplomacy

Anyone with a brain or a heart cannot help but be deeply disturbed by the unending and seemingly accelerating torrent of grim -- sometimes horrifying -- stories emanating from the Middle East. This week's gruesome, heartbreaking news of the beheading of American photojournalist James Foley is shocking evidence to this effect. 

Tags: isis, isil, james foley, iraq, syria, jordan, middle east, terrorism, extremism, al qaeda, muslim brotherhood

The charity stunt has lured athletes, celebrities, politicians and rock stars and gone viral on the Internet, but don’t look for US diplomats to get in on the fun.

Tags: als, lou gehrig's disease, ice bucket challenge, u.s. department of state, united states, diplomacy, internet

This Fall, Houston area high school student, Karen Ortega, will embark on a yearlong study abroad program in China with AFS. For ten months Karen, who has never traveled outside of the U.S., will live leave behind everything she knows to live with a Chinese host family, study in a Chinese high school and gain an intimate understanding of Chinese culture.

Tags: academic exchange, exchange diplomacy, china, united states, afs, american field service, study abroad, asia pacific, cultural exchange, schiff/robinson endowed scholarship fund

Diplomacy expert Manuel Castells defined public diplomacy as “the projection in the international arena of the values and ideas of the public." Perhaps no other international entity embodies that definition better than the People’s Health Movement (PHM), a global network that brings together grassroots health activists, civil society organizations, and academic institutions from more than 70 countries.

Tags: public health, global health, people's health movement, world health organization, tuberculosis, tb, r.s. zaharna, manuel castells