With the notable exception of Canada, public diplomacy most everywhere is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance, with interest and activity at levels not seen since the end of the Cold War....Why the resurgence?

One of the defining attributes of being in a center of global commerce and culture is the feeling you get when walking down the sidewalks. In London, I found the experience of strolling a few blocks from where I was staying to the downtown campus of UEA London, in large part along the fabled Brick Lane, to be a source of energy and inspiration.

Since 9/11, the U.S. Government has invested heavily in technology-based solutions to understanding, informing, and influencing people around the world and across a variety of mediums. Many of these efforts were sponsored by the Defense Department for reasons that include major appropriations by the Congress, a capability (and culture) of contracting, and so on.

It has long been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The challenge is understanding which words to which people...Context matters. Each viewing will be shaped by a personal or group context influenced by experience, culture, language, narratives, and other inputs direct and indirect.

As a struggle for a new narrative across the Taiwan Strait develops, it remains unclear what kind of collective narrative will emerge – if ever. Ostensibly, the KMT and the CCP are engaging in a mutual game of soft power politics that is moving beyond cultural exchanges.

One hundred years ago, Japan gifted some 3,000 cherry trees to the United States in a gesture of friendship. They now flower each spring around the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. On Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the U.S. will return the favor.