Declining U.S. military budgets not only would affect AFRICOM’s military-to-military activities but also could result in the command having to shed many of its support contractors. No specific orders to cut workers or contractors have yet been received, but are anticipated, Ham says.

...continued by sharing some facts. "Do you know that Barbados was founded by a freed Nigerian slave? That is cultural diplomacy waiting for us there. Today, the official residence of the prime minister has a Nigerian name... They are asking for (Nigerian) TV content for the Broadcasting Organisation of the Caribbean. They are desperate to connect with us," he revealed.

The cultural center is called @america – a name chosen because diplomats in the world’s most populous Muslim country thought it would appeal to the technical savvy young people, while conveying a measure of respect.

Yet, it is this role that allowed her [Michelle Obama] to come to South Africa as the president’s proxy on the ‘soft power’ pilgrimage that was surely intended to bring her country closer to South Africa.

Our nation's successful investment in fighting global AIDS has also been a powerful tool of public diplomacy... Giving people a chance at a healthy and productive life is among the most tangible contributions our nation can make to promote development and build stronger relationships with the U.S.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on Tuesday released a YouTube video entitled "The Truth About the Peace Process," in which he seeks to demonstrate "that the reason there is no successful peace process is because of decades of Palestinian and Arab recalcitrance."

In the lead-up to next week's UN General Assembly in which he was scheduled to speak, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad allowed NBC's Ann Curry to shadow him in Iran for a feature entitled, "A Day in the Life of Iran's President."

In order to prevent further deterioration of the United States’ relationships in the Middle East, it should conduct more public diplomacy in Egypt in order to maintain a civil relationship in the long term...Egyptian public opinion of the U.S. must change before the revolution ends, and the likelihood of a radical coming to power increases.