The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem hosted more than 3,000 tourists from more than 100 countries Tuesday night for the annual Feast of Tabernacles event. "Year after year you come from over a hundred countries to march through the streets of Jerusalem; and in doing so, you remind the people of Israel that we are not alone..."

Is the Arab Spring going to lead to a U.S. foreign-aid fall? Will America’s deficit and its election politics combine to reduce non-military, soft-power U.S. programs abroad?

APDS Blogger: Michael Duffin

When I hear ‘sports diplomacy’ evoked in conversation I often wince, knowing that 99% of the examples do not live up to the standards of the term.

Athletes and coaches who work for a team outside of their country for no purpose other than for a love of the game and personal gain do not always qualify. There is no universal definition of public diplomacy, but from my perspective there must be intention on the part of the actor to influence opinion.

The Cairo Embassy, which issued the statement before violence erupted, was engaging in public diplomacy at a highly professional level; they were trying to, de facto, explain the American free market of ideas while rejecting the offensive nature of the video's content.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan trumpeted Turkey's credentials as a rising democratic power on Sunday, saying his Islamist-rooted ruling party had become an example to the Muslim world after a decade in charge.

During the recent crisis in Libya and the events surrounding the online dissemination of a hateful video, many asked: what tools does the State Department have to respond to audiences and engage people around the world in real time?

Obama's comments to the General Assembly will be scrutinized around the globe and by the gathering of presidents and prime ministers in the famed United Nations hall, given the tumult, terrorism, nuclear threats and poverty that bind so many nations. He will respond to unrest in the Muslim world and seek to underscore U.S. resolve in keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Painting artists in the country have been provided with an opportunity to develop their career in Iran, following an exchange program initiated by the Far East nation..."Our goal is to establish an exchange relationship drawing artists, between Tanzania and Iran so that they can learn and exchange the customs and cultures of their respective countries. "