As the US role in Iraq shifts from military cooperation to a civilian partnership led by the State Department, Clinton has focused on commercial diplomacy — building economic links —- as a way of fostering government transparency, political stability and stronger ties.

In a March 2010 poll, commissioned by the Arab American Institute, when asked whether “U.S. support for Israel makes the U.S. more or less respected in the world,” 44 percent responded “less respected,” as opposed to only 13 percent who felt that support for Israel made the U.S. “more respected.”

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced that former NBA player Sam Vincent and WNBA Legend Andrea Stinson will travel as sports envoys to Jordan from July 17-22. Vincent and Stinson will conduct six youth basketball clinics, work with disabled athletes, and meet with Jordanian sports officials.

Like the economy itself—though less noticed abroad—Italy’s ancient monuments and cultural heritage are crumbling. At stake is not just sentimental attachment to national monuments. Italy draws more than 45 million visitors every year, making tourism the country’s primary industry. Italy, as a brand, doesn’t just denote quality and beauty, but translates into euros.

It is therefore important that the debate on how diplomatic missions can facilitate trade relations between Kenya and their host countries considers several other factors, including capacity-building at the ministry level and the ability of Kenyan suppliers to deliver goods on time.

The Poland-Korea Education and Science Conference will bring together leaders from their field in both countries to better understand and share good practice of Korea’s quick progress in the educational sciences.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE Jamil Ahmed Khan has emphasised the need for pursuing economic diplomacy to benefit from the international opportunities available to Pakistan in the field of economy and trade.

It's not size of your sports diplomacy that matters, it's what you do with it. This is why we can all learn a lesson from Sarandon, who at 64 has lost neither her looks nor her charm, when she informs the audience today that she is "a ping-pong propagandist" - while flashing a beautiful smile.