In embassies and chancelleries the world over, ediplomacy seems to be the new rock & roll. Perhaps we have even reached the point, to bastardise Aneurin Bevan's classic quote about unilateral nuclear disarmament, where to deprive a foreign secretary or ambassador of a Twitter account is to send him naked into the conference chamber. Last week, DFAT finally lifted its ambassadorial tweeting embargo, signaling an end to a culture of online reticence that was starting to cop some flak.

President Obama's decision last year to call for the fall of the Assad regime, in which he was followed by Britain and other allies, was, it can be argued, a mistake. The reasons were understandable. First, the regime was behaving appallingly. Second, the US did not want to be behind the curve in another phase of the Arab spring, particularly as the Damascus government was, unlike the Mubarak government in Egypt, one which it had always disliked and which was tied to regional foes of America in the shape of Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Chinese people I met while I was studying in the U.S. in the early 2000s gave me the strong impression of being aggressive in pursuing their goals. In many cases, five people shared a one-room studio to save on rent, though things might have changed now that China is the world’s second-largest economy in gross domestic product and trade. Back then, those who talked loudly at restaurants and attempted to buy a 10-dollar chair at half price at garage sales were mostly Chinese.

The said newspaper reported that at least six heads of Namibia's diplomatic missions will be recalled back home if a proposal drafted by presidential advisor on foreign affairs, Tuliameni Kalomoh, sails through unopposed.

The revelation that the North Korean leader is married raises questions about the announcement's significance and whether it is a sign of change in the reclusive country. Kim Jong Un's spouse was revealed in low key fashion during a broadcast in Pyongyang Wednesday.

China strives to project a profile on the global stage as a responsible state because some western observers remain wary of "an assertive China" after its rapid rise to become a global economical power house.

A new study finds almost two-thirds of world leaders now have a Twitter account, but many don't bother to follow each other. The "Twiplomacy" study Thursday by PR firm Burson-Marsteller says President Barack Obama is the most-followed world leader, including by 76 of his peers and other governments.