digital diplomacy
For over a decade, the United States has promoted a free and open Internet as a central tenet of its foreign policy. To date, this has most visibly involved shaming governments that limit access to online content and developing tools that help individuals circumvent censorship and surveillance.
You probably can’t get the new Twitter profile just yet. But if you want to peak into the future, check out First Lady Michelle Obama’s profile @flotus; or super-star actor @channingtatum; or Iran’s Supreme Leader@Khamenei_ir.
The year 2013 was a dynamic and diverse one for public diplomacy. Caitlin Byrne, an Australian public diplomacy scholar and practitioner, said “The scope and versatility of public diplomacy in 2013 is striking. The most significant stories of 2013 reflect public diplomacy’s core challenges: to enable dialogue, align national and global interests and deliver positive change.”
![](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/AnnualReview4%20%282%29.png?itok=oD1mOzye)
Sherine B. Walton, Editor-in-Chief
Naomi Leight, Managing Editor
Sohaela Amiri, Associate Editor
Colin Hale, PD News Contributing Researcher
If you are a soccer fan, you will not want to miss the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola event at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on Monday, April 14, 2014. During its 267-day duration, the World Cup™ Trophy Tour will visit nearly 90 countries, including the United States, and will give the public an opportunity to see what is arguably the world's most coveted symbol of soccer.
Hamas is having a hard time these days. Animosity with the military regime in Cairo has led to the closure of Gaza’s vital smuggling tunnels. According to Monocle, the tunnels act as a vital supply route and Hamas says the current impasse is costing the Gaza economy about $230 million a month.
This week’s curator for the @Ireland Twitter account, Conor Neylan, will accompany Ireland’s President, Michael D Higgins, on his historical Irish State visit to Britain. The @Ireland Twitter account is managed by Irish Central since we took over WorldIrish.com.
Let’s hand it to the U.S. government: At least this disastrous attempt to overthrow the Castro brothers did not almost lead to nuclear annihilation. But its impact on activists around the world who use digital tools to organize against repressive regimes feels devastating enough.