Minister of Public Diplomacy Yuli Edelstein told students and young professionals not to blame reporters for Israel’s poor image at a conference on media and hasbarah at Ariel University earlier this month...Edelstein also urged citizens to take an active role in Israel’s public diplomacy efforts, stating that, “Citizens, who photograph and share it on social media introduce to the world our human face.”

The family of the late ambassador had requested that CNN not issue any reports based on the journal — or even reference its existence — before the family consented. CNN agreed to abide by the family’s wishes, according to Philippe Reines, a State Department spokesman who listened in on a conference call between a CNN executive and a representative of the Stevens family.

The US Administration has turned to social media and television ads to try to stem global protest by showing news clips of US President Barack Obama condemning an anti- Islam film made in the US. "...That's something that we'll have to look at is what means did we use to make sure that publics around the world understood where the U.S. Government stands, and were those effective..."

After his unexplained two-week absence from the public eye, China's presumptive president-in-waiting looks to be undertaking a campaign to prove he's healthy and fit to lead, starting with a meeting this week with U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

The Pew Research Center is out with a new poll on American reactions to last week’s attacks on the U.S. embassies in Cairo and Libya. Contrary to speculation that the attacks would hurt President Obama politically—speculation that likened Obama to Jimmy Carter and the Iranian hostage crisis–Pew’s results suggest that at least among people following the story—the attacks have done more to hurt Governor Romney.

The Obama administration has amassed a substantial record of accomplishments in the fight against Al Qaeda. But the tragic murder of Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and three other Americans underscores the need to keep up the pressure to combat terrorism at every level.

In late 2005, I found myself in Afghanistan, working for the defence minister at the time as director of communications. I quickly became acquainted with the frustration of trying to communicate effectively through the noise of suicide bombs and high-profile attacks.