Last year, the State Department said it needed 1,250 more positions to handle work in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East, besides expanding public diplomacy and increasing foreign language training. But in this year's budget belatedly approved in April, lawmakers only provided enough money to fill jobs left vacant by attrition.

During Clinton’s visit, there were some disturbing developments as well. By the time the conditions were ripe for “nearly perfect” public diplomacy, the Turkish media was forced to focus on another issue, which unfortunately made Clinton’s “smiles” and “blue-pant suit” of secondary importance.

Ms. McHale emphasized the importance of engaging with Muslim nations, especially now during the anti-government upheaval in the Arab world. “In Egypt or Tunisia or in other places in the Middle East right now, they are not focused on al Qaeda. They are focused on the transition of their countries,” she said.

“At this critical time in our country’s history, hosting an international teen is the best and purest form of public diplomacy the United States has,” Doty said.

Beijing's strategic plan to dominate Vietnam, the intellectuals assert, is already well-advanced, to the point that the economy is virtually under Chinese control and Chinese ‘soft power' has corrupted the nation's political life.

Paris – the city of love and irrepressibly haughty waitstaff – still has that je ne sais quoi, according to the report, released this week, which measures the the image of 50 cities with respect to presence, place and people, as well as more nebulous characteristics such as pulse and potential.

Often accused of ignoring religion as they craft foreign policy, the White House and State Department are trying to show that religion is a rising priority for U.S. diplomacy. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Istanbul last week promoted a new U.S.-backed international agreement to protect freedom of speech and religion, an accord described by her department as a "landmark" change.

Who deserves credit for bringing the Republic of South Sudan into existence as the 193rd country in the United Nations? One strong candidate for acclaim is the phenomenon of celebrity activism led by Hollywood's paramount leading man, George Clooney. As might be expected, there continue to be ripples of outright dismissal of Clooney's efforts from the usual suspects.