As you heard, I am Tara Sonenshine and I’m Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. And I am delighted to join you at this special time – the 40th anniversary of the Fulbright program in Russia. The program is very important to all of us – Russians and Americans. As I’ll explain in a few moments, it’s also important to the work of public diplomacy. So what better way to pay tribute to 40 years of Fulbright than to acknowledge the contributions of the people who have made it – and continue to make it – so vibrant and effective?

There is most probably no left wing leader who had influenced public opinion inside and outside the Latin American part of the Western hemisphere to the same extent as the unconventional Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez had over the last decade. Doubtlessly, his death three weeks ago ended one phase of Venezuela’s political development. Now facing the caudillo’s loss, the electorate has to determine the sustainability of principal public diplomacy paradigms of the Chavez government.

There is most probably no left wing leader who had influenced public opinion inside and outside the Latin American part of the Western hemisphere to the same extent as the unconventional Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez had over the last decade. Doubtlessly, his death three weeks ago ended one phase of Venezuela’s political development. Now facing the caudillo’s loss, the electorate has to determine the sustainability of principal public diplomacy paradigms of the Chavez government.

The majority of these two million documents are from 1973 to 1976 and are referred to as the “Kissinger Cables.” However, only about 200,000 of the cables actually refer to Henry Kissinger, U.S. Secretary of State under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. The moniker merely refers to the time period these documents concern.

Iran's former nuclear negotiator, now a candidate in Iran's presidential election, pledged Thursday to improve rocky relations with the West if he is elected. Hasan Rohani is considered a leading candidate in the June election because of his centrist views and close ties to Iran's ruling clerics. A top supporter said he favors negotiations to resolve the dispute over Iran's suspect nuclear program, while preserving Iran's rights.

Sydney University's student representative council has called for the academic institution to cut ties with at least one Israeli university, in a move likely to reignite fierce debate over proposed academic boycotts of the Jewish state.

South Africa's ambassadors should ensure they present the country in a positive light, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday. "In this era of globalisation, since information flows like fire and can easily be misinterpreted, our diplomacy cannot afford to neglect public opinion," Zuma said at the heads of mission conference in Pretoria on Thursday, according to a copy of his speech. He referred to the killing of 13 South African soldiers in the Central African Republic during fighting with rebels near Bangui on March 23.

North Korea is a tiny dictatorship with a bankrupt economy, but its leaders are remarkably adept at manipulating global public opinion. In recent weeks, we have been exposed to yet another brilliant example of their skill.