With these fighting words, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari did something no other Pakistani politician has done: publicly defy the Taliban (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan or TTP).

For obvious reasons, many Paulistanos still consider this megacity’s decrepit old center a no-go zone. Carjacking and kidnapping gangs preyon motorists at stoplights. Squatterscontrol dozens of graffiti-splattered apartment buildings. Sinewy addicts roam through the streets smoking crack cocaine in broad daylight.

At this week’s MIPTV Media Market in Cannes, France, which officially kicked off on Sunday, Israeli production companies Armoza Formats and Keshet Media Group have already closed major deals for TV formats to be developed and distributed in the United States, Canada, France and Thailand.

 The Philippine navy will soon return to a South China Sea island it lost to Vietnam 40 years ago to drink beer and play volleyball with Vietnamese sailors, symbolising how once-suspicious neighbours are cooperating in the face of China's assertiveness in disputed waters.

Engaging foreign publics is now essential to a nation’s international relations. This public dimension of diplomacy is not only global in nature, but also involves a multitude of actors and networks. The CPD Annual Review explores the global trends that are shaping the expanding field of public diplomacy.

As part of the CPD Annual Review, we highlight some of the year’s key public diplomacy moments in our Top 10 List of the most notable stories from 2013.