This summer, two groups of international food bloggers visited Israel for the first time on separate all-expense-paid trips, one of which was partially funded by the Tourism Ministry. The goal of these trips and similar ones planned for the future, organizers say, is to expose influential writers to Israel through something as seemingly apolitical as food - and to encourage them to share their impressions of Israeli cuisine and culture with their millions of followers.

The last time I saw Chris Stevens was in May, at his swearing-in ceremony for his first post as ambassador, in Libya. We'd been friends since he was a junior diplomat on the Iran desk, when we used to gab for hours about Tehran's cryptic politics. We later met up in Mideast hot spots, from Syria and Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian territories. He always had funny tales about diplomatic mischief.

In one of his last acts as U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens put together a group of Libyan journalists and sent them to the U.S. on a tour of media outlets. A day after receiving news that their friend Stevens was killed by protesters at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, the group of seven Libyan reporters and other media professionals visited this newspaper to exchange ideas about journalism in the U.S.

Ten years ago, the Innocence of Muslims controversy would not have happened. YouTube did not exist, and without this means of reaching a global audience the offensive snippets of the “film” would never have been seen.

The Mejdi Tours company take pains to present both sides of the reality in these parts. With a Palestinian Muslim guide and an Israeli Jewish guide, it wasn't a typical Jerusalem tour. Mejdi was founded on the belief that tourism in conflict zones that addresses local experiences and beliefs can be a tool for intercultural understanding.

This summer, two groups of international food bloggers visited Israel for the first time on separate all-expense-paid trips... The goal of these trips and similar ones planned for the future, organizers say, is to expose influential writers to Israel through something as seemingly apolitical as food - and to encourage them to share their impressions of Israeli cuisine and culture with their millions of followers.

Royals have always had a diplomatic role. In Britain, they used to hold absolute power but these days they work with government to provide soft power abroad... You can't put a price on such royal missions, but the British government have, in Catherine and William, found a unique vehicle to promote national interests, and they are making the most of it.

The Indian mission has discussed promoting Yoga and Ayurveda in Russia with the Russian State University for the Humanities... Considering how much a part of Russian life yoga has become, the physical, mental and spiritual disciplines of the ancient science are now the biggest proponents of Indian soft power in the country.