According to America's Voices in Israel, an organization that aims to bolster Israel’s image in the U.S., the goal of such trip is to allow guests, whether pastors or celebrities, to use their respective platforms – from pulpits to social media – to share their experiences in the land and to engender positive feelings and, ultimately, visits to Israel by their followers.

Excitement over the Internet aside, however, the Virtual Embassy Tehran is a product of the same failed public diplomacy paradigm that the United States has pursued since 9/11. As such, it reflects the persistent inability of the U.S. government to recognize modern global communications landscape and the limits of persuasion.

After a six-month study into water diplomacy in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Water Governance Centre, the Clingendael Diplomatic Studies Programme presents a final report with policy recommendations. The report examines the potential of water diplomacy for Dutch foreign policy and how involved actors can increase this potential. The focus is on water diplomacy, as seen from the Netherlands, in terms of niche diplomacy on transboundary water conflict prevention.

"We can see how we can enhance military-to-military cooperation, interoperality and public diplomacy so that we can better explain Nato and what it does and we at Nato can better understand the region," he told Gulf News.

APDS Blogger: Hend Alhinnawi

Throughout history, many nations have relied on historical phenomena, narratives, and myths to define their identities and their relation to the outside reality. When narratives survive the test of time and space, they become meta-narratives which shape the worldview and the conduct of the societies they encompass. In addition to having profound effects on the socio-cultural process, meta-narratives sometimes influence and explicate the international behavior of a nation.

Egypt's dominance is emblematic of the important role hashtags played in organizing real-time updates and reaction to big news events this year. Egypt had "a far more mature and extensive social media environment" before its uprising than Tunisia did before its revolution, and the Egyptian protests went on to forge microblogging celebrities.