With much of the country's media under the control of the state, bloggers have filled in the void -- often beating the traditional outlets to important stories on issues ranging from parking to high-level corruption. As online media's influence rises, it is also increasingly attracting the attention of the authorities.

Egypt's Kefaya ("Enough" in Arabic) movement was in many ways the forefather of the Arab uprising. It pioneered the use of social media, mastered the art of symbolic demonstrations, and pried open a space in the Egyptian media. This opening of closed regimes to raw information and opinion, a faith in the power of public ideas, was itself one of the key ideas underpinning the Arab uprisings.

In this email interview, Craig Newmark says they're still working out the model but have enjoyed early success in linking groups dedicated to serving military families. The nonprofit also focuses on open government, technology for good causes, public diplomacy, consumer protection and back-to-basics journalism.

Accepting the award, Goel said, “The conferring of the degree is a recognition of the great work being done by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in the area of cultural diplomacy”...“The ICCR is using dialogue between societies toward achieving the ancient wisdom...

Andrea Wenzel takes us to meet an openly gay couple who decided to start an Algerian-American restaurant in Elkader after 9/11. This story charts the restauranteurs' adventures with cultural adaptation, American identity and small town politics.

Many Chinese are fascinated by the United States, and it remains a top destination for China’s young people to study. Some American programs do send musicians or speakers to China and invite Chinese opinion makers to see the United States firsthand. But the four-day U.S.-China Forum event highlighted how unusual it was for the United States to provide broad access to American culture beyond pirated Hollywood movies.

Growing up in a diverse community in California, I enjoyed home-cooked Indian dishes, courtesy of my mother’s friends. I remember learning about India’s history and subsequently falling in love with its diverse culture and folklore, all during dinner. In retrospect, that was gastrodiplomacy at work.

"When we go to another country solving their water problems, it’s the best public diplomacy," says businessman Ronald Lauder.