China’s Confucius Institutes around the world are about spreading appreciation for Chinese culture and language, not news about political fault lines in China. Since the Confucius Institute project started seven years ago, some 300 have opened around the globe – 21 in Africa.

In its never-ending efforts to be hip, the U.S. State Department last week launched a new Web site called “Discover Diplomacy.” It has video clips, it has audio tracks, it has interactive maps and images—it has it all. Possibly due to the difficulty of getting foreigners to listen these days...the State Department has decided to reach out to its domestic constituency.

APDS Blogger: Jerry Edling

In addition to public diplomacy, the U.S. government should continue to support the development of software that may make it easier for citizens of countries with repressive regimes to access the Internet without fear of surveillance.

All were charged with giving “a right direction to public sentiment” by making himself acquainted with the leading men of the national press. Today we would call this “public diplomacy,” though, of necessity, they operated largely in secret.

During the past three decades China has made great advances in public diplomacy and it is emerging as a vital tool for the country... But the financial crisis in Europe and the United States means there is a need for urgency in boosting China's public diplomacy.

Rapid development and industrialization have forced the movement of populations into cities... For others, the transition offers new opportunities for business, education and eventual quality of life improvements. In India, this transformation is increasingly apparent

Our research will assess the role of each of these actors: public, private, and nonprofit, as well as media and academia—and seeks to understand how they create the public diplomacy ecosystem in India. We will survey a wide range of ‘diplomacies’—from cultural to economic...