Far from being rendered irrelevant by technological progress, where governments can communicate with one another directly on a need-to basis, diplomacy has become an increasingly critical instrument in an age of interdependence and globalization.

At the beginning of May 2012, students, faculty and alums of Emerson College met with their counterparts in the beachside community of Rosarito, Mexico to commemorate the 5 year ongoing public diplomacy projects in the wake of the drug cartel crisis.

"The old public diplomacy was, 'You tell me what you think and I tell you what I think, and that's the end,'" the former ambassador told China Daily at the Meridian International Center, which is situated in a historic mansion in the US capital.

The Baima people, a mysterious ethnic group inhabiting forest areas along the Baishuijiang River in southwest China, are striving to promote their unique culture so to help the world know more about their history, art, and customs that have been preserved for thousands of years.

Israel's Facebook page in India ranks in top three foreign country pages. The Israel in India Facebook page, launched by the Embassy of Israel in August 2010, has received almost 20,000 'likes', a figure surpassed only by the pages of the US and the UK.

PUTRAJAYA: “As Malaysia rolls out the red carpet for the pandas, it is hoped that China’s panda diplomacy can also help ease political tensions in the country,” said an online report in the Star.

I had an opportunity to visit Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe in November 2011. As I traveled from north to south on the African continent, I was able to take a close look at African culture. The trip convinced me that Africa is not a "cultural desert" as some have claimed, but an oasis steeped in culture.