A second issue to address is that, traditionally, there has been too little emphasis from China on public diplomacy efforts to reach out directly to foreign publics. Instead, Beijing has often placed emphasis, especially in Africa and the Middle East, on improving working relationships with strategically important governments through assistance programs that may not always serve the interest of local peoples. This is now changing. China has rapidly developed public diplomacy skills and policies. But more change is urgently needed if hearts and minds are to be won across the world.

Similarly, Amidror told an ambassadors’ convention that the Foreign Ministry would be better off focusing on public diplomacy, cultural activities and international assistance in the areas of agriculture and medicine. Netanyahu, who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the 1980s and then deputy foreign minister, has cultivated the image of being a media expert and an outstanding diplomat.

In 2010, C.C.A. Lagos introduced its International Art Program, which brought more than a dozen artists and curators from across Africa to Lagos for four weeks of lectures, seminars, workshops and projects. This year, the third edition of the program was held from May to June in Accra, Ghana, beginning what Ms. Silva called a “roaming campus” that she hopes could next stop in Senegal and Mozambique.

May Chau Chung-man is set to become the first Chinese pianist to perform in Italy's renowned Mantua opera house tomorrow, but what's foremost on her mind is how to share her exposure on the European stage with her fellow musicians in Hong Kong. And among her big plans for the city's talents include bringing a group of Hong Kong children and aspiring artists to Italy for a cultural exchange next summer.

American Councils for International Education is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program which is responsible for bringing over 22,000 international high school students to study in the U.S. American Councils is marking the occasion today by co-hosting a reception on Capitol Hill with Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

In recent years, diplomatic circles have been relying on the term “engagement” to describe various communication and public diplomacy activities with foreign publics. The term is used almost universally in government, the military, academia, corporations and think tanks to describe a range of practices designed to influence or persuade foreign audiences.

Majorities in most of 39 countries surveyed have an unfavorable opinion of Iran, and most say Tehran does not respect the personal freedoms of its people. Meanwhile, any nuclear ambitions harbored by the Iranian government continue to draw strong opposition from Western countries, as well as neighboring states in the Middle East.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has joined Twitter, poking fun at her own image and keeping political classes guessing about her future.