With the proliferation of information technology across all societies, people around the world are participating in shaping the political lives of their countries to an unprecedented degree. That drove us to an understanding that the United States government had to take a different approach to public diplomacy.

Youth in Action is a new youth exchange program in Mexico... It will provide workshops in the United States for Mexican high school students so that they can develop their leadership and civic engagement skills. A joint public-private funded program, it emphasizes community problem-solving and grassroots action to address violence and drugs.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni spoke on the phone with Mustafa El Gendi, assistant chief of the Al Wafd Party, member of the People’s Parliament and coordinator of the Public Diplomacy delegation’s visit. El Gendi visited Uganda a few days ago and met with Museveni to discuss the Nile water.

Foreign military interventions seldom run a smooth course; they have been particularly messy, if not counterproductive, in the vast swathe of lands stretching from the Maghreb to Indonesia.