Israel has improved its ranking in the U.S. State Department’s 2012 Tracking In Person’s Report. The country was moved from a “tier 2” level, meaning it was considered non-compliant but improving, to “tier 1,” according to Haaretz.

Will Internet companies help or hinder government authorities that try to restrict their citizens from using the Web freely? And will their customers, investors or shareholders care enough to do something about it? That debate was freshly stirred on Thursday as the UNHRC passed a landmark resolution supporting freedom of expression on the Internet.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton never seems to have cooking far from her mind. She's turned the State Department kitchen into a tool of international diplomacy. Clinton put her Chief of Protocol, Capricia Penavic Marshall, in charge of what's come to be known as "food diplomacy."

In the Joint Communiqué of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China in 1972, the Japanese government stated it would deeply reflect on its aggression against China and the hurts and damage it brought to the Chinese people.

Delicious food and a piano recital by the highly acclaimed Chinese pianist Yundi Li opened the Experience China event in Japan on Monday..."The event is expected to serve as a window through which Japanese people can see a whole picture of China that is separated from their country only by a narrow strip of water," Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office.

“This is an exercise in cultural and public diplomacy to project positive image of Pakistan and to highlight Pakistani culture and heritage,” said Consul-General Fakir Asif Hussain, the spirit behind the event. “Far from being confined within geographical borders, Pakistan Fashion has gone global, leaving its distinct mark on almost every major culture in the world.”

Over the past few months, I have been privileged to work with a team that has produced a new video, "Visit America: It's Easier Than You Think." The video is addressed to foreign travelers and combines imagery of the incomparable natural wonders of the United States, its vibrant cities, and diverse people, with an overlying narrative describing the straightforward steps to apply for a visa.

This collaborative work is making the case that effective cultural diplomacy need not aspire to control the message. It is not best deployed when closely linked to the priorities of policy makers or defined national interests. Nor is it always desirable for acts of cultural diplomacy to be framed in terms of the goal of the representation of a people.