We are supporting initiatives like Partners for a New Beginning, which supports economic opportunity, education, science and technology exchanges between the United States and Muslim communities worldwide...We are connecting entrepreneurs with Diaspora communities in the United States that are eager to help fund new projects in countries where they have family ties.

Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) Coordinator Dawn L. McCall travels this week to Seoul, South Korea and Jakarta, Indonesia to meet with social media researchers and senior Embassy officials to discuss social media trends, public opinion of the United States, and public diplomacy programs.

Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon released a video that offers the Israeli government's point-of-view of the background and context of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The video quickly drew fire from the Palestinian National Authority, with chief negotiator Saeb Erekat terming it a "cynical and falsified account of history and international law," and called on Israel to explain its posting.

The State Department has declared the intent to use Internet and the opportunities created from this new open communication platform, to leverage U.S. national interests on a global scale. Part of this initiative includes a commitment to freedom of expression, not just for the citizens of the United States, but for people everywhere.

The United States has increased its funding for the binational Fulbright Program to $8.5 million per year, making it one of the largest Fulbright programs in the world. The U.S. government has committed $15 million for a new five year Fulbright Indonesia Research, Science, and Technology Program – or FIRST Program - to support American and Indonesian students and scholars.

First outlined by President Obama during his “New Beginnings” speech in 2009, the Global Entrepreneurship Program supports entrepreneurs in Muslim majority emerging economies by linking them with mentors and access to financing. Indonesia is the second country after Egypt to implement the pilot, which officials say supports stable democracy by creating jobs and growing local economies.

U.S. President Barack Obama recently met with the Dalai Lama at the White House despite strong objections from China. Shortly after the meeting, China expressed its high indignation and determined opposition in a stern formal complaint with the United States.