A whole set of factors pertaining to style, discourse, image and public diplomacy come into play here that must be analyzed carefully to reach a sound conclusion as it pertains the external effectiveness of Ahmadinejad and his overall legacy as two-term president of the Islamic Republic in a crucial era.

Among changes the State Department implemented was expanding a list of prohibited jobs to include manufacturing, construction and agriculture. The program also bans participants from working in the sex industry.

The GIST initiative forges links at the individual and institutional levels among technology entrepreneurs, angel investors, and the marketplace...In Africa, GIST is powered by LIONS@FRICA, a Department of State public-private partnership that shares the GIST mission to create economic opportunity through innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Tech@State keynote by Beth Simone Noveck, former deputy Chief Technology Officer at the White House, will start at 11:30 a.m...Subsequent sessions will explore the potential for wikis to increase collaboration among institutions, enhance the flow of information in local communities, foster internal collaboration and increase inter-agency cooperation.

Russia's new NGO law is more than a move against organizations receiving foreign funding. It is part of a broader campaign to squeeze out those the Kremlin sees as peddlers of "soft power." The law, pushed through Russia's lower house, would see groups receiving funding from abroad dubbed "foreign agents."

This groundbreaking event brought together live studio audiences and government officials in Kabul and Islamabad to discuss the way forward for Afghanistan and Pakistan as the U.S. prepares to withdraw its troops in 2014, as well as the role Pakistan should play in the reconciliation process.

It is within this cacophony of negativity and peril that I had the chance to meet and interview, not diplomats, nor politicians, but regular, young Pakistani citizens who happen to be in an acclaimed rock and roll band called Noori. Noori are on their first music tour of the United States, sponsored by the U.S. Department of States' new cultural diplomacy initiative, Center Stage.

Climate Change and Water Conference—An ideal opportunity for the international community to exchange ideas and develop a common vision for the future of world climate change and water resources. Until July 11. Ismailia, Egypt.