A photo of Greg Kleven, dated April 1967, shows him posing in front of a tin-roofed hooch, wearing an undershirt so stained it matches the sand beneath his feet. In his right hand, he is holding an M-16 rifle. His shaved head is cocked to the left and he's sticking out his tongue in a half smile. The 18-year-old enlistee is three months into his tour of Vietnam in a Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance company, a special operations unit similar to the Navy SEALs. He looks brash and ready to take on any Viet Cong who cross his path.

As an aide to the prime minister of Bhutan, Takao Takahashi helped deepen people’s understanding of the need to manage their money in the rapidly growing South Asian country valuing “gross national happiness.” The 31-year-old, who now works for the World Bank in Washington, said that although Bhutan’s consumption is surging amid rapid economic growth, its people have little knowledge about how to manage their money.

Confucius Institutes (CIs) are probably China’s most prominent, but also most controversial cultural diplomacy tool. There is a lot of debate going on concerning the political implications of CI’s, especially in the U.S. (the most recent example can be found here) but also elsewhere. While these debates are absolutely necessary and helpful to better understand these institutes, it sometimes seems there is more guessing and speculation rather than a fact based discussion.

Europe's unemployment crisis, now in its sixth year, has had a profound impact on young people across the Continent, and has become among the biggest economic, political and social challenges facing European leaders. Joblessness among young people is at historic highs, forcing many of them to leave their families and countries in search of jobs abroad, to accept temporary and underpaid work that often has little to do with their education and skills, and to readjust their expectations for their future.

Public diplomacy is about communicating—including lessons learned. So here are a few lessons I have learned from serving in high level positions in government: 1. The first is about idealism vs. realism—how to blend them. You come into government very idealistic and you go home very realistic. But the truth is that the first and last lesson I keep learning is about BLENDING BOTH—meaning that you have to blend ideals and aspirations with what is doable.

A California high school's use of an Arab mascot has drawn the ire of a rights group that says it is offensive, stereotyping Arabs as hook-nosed, bearded and angry. Coachella Valley High School sports teams are dubbed the "Arabs", which the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee complained in a letter to the school this month plays on harmful stereotypes.

In its drive to double the number of Japanese youths studying abroad by 2020, the education ministry has launched a campaign involving the private sector, which is eager to hire more graduates with overseas experience. Under the campaign titled “Tobitate! Ryugaku Japan,' the ministry in cooperation with business people, athletes and artists, will stage a series of promotional activities to encourage more young people to seek out educational opportunities in other countries.

Despite efforts to reduce the cost of a college degree, the price tag remains unthinkable for many. And it’s not just the cost of tuition, but also the extras like spending a year, a semester or even a summer in a foreign country. At a time when it seems as if every American college and university has a study abroad program or has agreements with institutions that offer the experience, one has to wonder: Is it worth it?