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The challenges posed by the new media landscape...will likely take years to fully comprehend. But as the contours of the role of social media in the Arab Spring and elsewhere begin to take shape in the academic and policy-making arenas, everyone seems to agree on one point: The revolution is far from over.

September 20, 2011

A promotional campaign urging visitors from the Gulf to visit Jordan appears to be paying off for the Hashemite Kingdom, whose hotels and attractions have been struggling with a drop in tourism from Europe and America. Jordan has been hoping to capitalize on its image of a relatively calm country amidst turbulent unrest to draw visitors.

Don’t be fooled, citizens of China: Newly arrived U.S. ambassador Gary Locke’s humble do-it-yourself demeanor is all part of a crafty neo-colonialist plot. Such at least is the message of a state media editorial that is making waves on the Chinese Internet. The response so far among Chinese Internet users: Bring it on.

Another week, another public round of warm applause for America’s new ambassador to China, Gary Locke. A senior official behaving as humbly as a normal human being is a breath of fresh air in China, where officials are widely reviled for the lavish lifestyles many of them enjoy, often paid for by corruption. The attention Locke has garnered is freighted with political significance

The war in Libya and the activities of three Africa-based Islamist groups have raised questions about whether Africom may be shifting from its initial posture of projecting soft power to one of managing a hot theater. However...while Africom's public affairs posture may now be in flux, the command's core mission of growing African capabilities to meet African security challenges has not changed.

Brazil may enjoy a cuddly image in Lima, thanks to its football and carnival, and its social-democratic economic model...Yet many Peruvians are asking whether they really want their country to be “Brazilianised”...It speaks to the might of Brazilian “soft power” – and the country’s huge gravitational pull on a continent where it accounts for half the landmass and its neighbours cannot help but spin into its orbit.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari has underscored the need to be non-emotive in resolving water issues. Stressing on the need for display of “great wisdom and patience”...he said absolute positions would only create problems. “Resolving water disputes requires preventive diplomacy and regional collaborative mechanisms.''

Syrians have accused Al Jazeera of seeking to foment unrest in the country, and at least one media outlet even accused the Qatar-based broadcaster of setting up film studios to stage some of the uprising. It comes as no surprise, then, that some might seize on the latest leaked cables as a way to discredit the news organization as simply being a mouthpiece for the U.S. government.

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