It was December in northern Syria and the temperature was dropping fast. U.S. special operations forces urgently needed to get blankets to their partners. They turned to a small charity run by Jim Hake, a former venture capitalist. Within eight hours, 200 blankets had arrived, paid for by Hake’s NGO, Spirit of America. [...] And Hake argues, if extremists are relying on private donations to launch terrorist attacks, why can’t private citizens in America donate money to help U.S. forces fighting them?  “To prevail, we need all elements of national power — private and public,” Hake said.

The upcoming Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) in Dubai, UAE will feature a strategic platform to discuss the role of government in shaping a competitive business environment to attract investment, facilitate entrepreneurship and innovation. [...] The meeting will provide key insights on how the government and other stakeholders stimulate and facilitate the flow of investments between countries and establish investment partnerships in vital sectors.

Launching a startup is no easy feat. Launching one outside your native country is even harder. But for certain French startups, the French government is there to help. A government-sponsored competition that began last year offers startups marketing and promotional assistance. The Creative Next Challenge is a series of competitions sponsored by Business France, the nation’s international business development agency. 

The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC), the cultural wing of the Indian Embassy in Cairo, yesterday organised a seminar on ‘Cooperation in Entrepreneurship between India and Egypt’. The seminar was part of the ‘MACIC Roundtable’, a monthly seminar series involving youth, academicians, culture lovers, civil society activists, on issues of mutual interest to India and Egypt.

This month, Forbes published its annual 30 Under 30 recognizing bright young entrepreneurs, breakout talent, and change agents in 20 different professional sectors. Seven of these leaders studied abroad on State Department exchange programs early in their careers. These experiences shaped their identities and in many cases motivated them to become leaders and thinkers in the United States and around the world.

Public diplomacy is one of the most powerful tools a president has to inform and influence the world by communicating American values and interests. By engaging with citizens overseas, we expand and extend our national security through the dissemination of news, information, culture, education, entrepreneurship and everything else that make a democracy strong.