On Thursday, Mursi announced that he will hold daily Twitter sessions with the general public, underscoring his perception that the mainstream media are deliberately misrepresenting him. Several anti-Mursi media outlets are owned by Mubarak loyalists, who would like to see post-revolutionary Egypt destabilised to such an extent that the military would seize control again.

Days before the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas erupted in November, international diplomats gathered at the French Consulate General in Jerusalem to discuss an ambitious diplomatic initiative that would convene Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, the Gulf states, and the European Union to jointly support the construction of a Gaza desalination plant that would ultimately help secure clean water access for the coastal enclave.

“Charlie Wilson’s War” – like many Hollywood films – took extraordinary license with the facts, presenting many of the war’s core elements incorrectly. That in itself might not be a serious problem, except that key U.S. policymakers have cited these mythical “facts” as lessons to guide the current U.S. military occupation of Afghanistan.

The United States has played a significant role in Yemen’s transition, which ushered out former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in exchange for immunity, and inaugurated a unity government and consensus president that are overseeing a national dialogue launched last month. The U.S. has pledged support for the dialogue, which will lead to a constitutional referendum and new elections. To many Yemenis, however, Washington is narrowly focused on short-term security concerns and the fight against terrorism; the U.S., they think, cares little about real political change.

After 34 years of hostilities between Iran and the US, there is now an opportunity for settling their mutual differences. The Obama administration has reiterated its willingness to engage in direct bilateral talks with Iran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has responded to this overture by indicating that Iran would be open to talks when America “proves its goodwill”. And even so, the next round of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 world powers began on March 5 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo shut down its Twitter feed Wednesday following a public fight with the Egyptian Presidency and the Muslim Brotherhood over the arrest of an Egyptian television star.

It's not just about building stadiums or sponsoring training programs and competitions. The government is using the soft power of culture to change the public perception of women athletes. One example is "Hey'Ya Arab Women in Sport," the brilliant exhibit by photographer and frequent Condé Nast Traveler contributor Brigitte Lacombe which runs at the Katara Cultural Village through June 13.