Trending on Twitter is a big deal—and the @Sweden experiment has been doing just that. It started as a government-backed venture to promote, through Twitter, a new, exciting, and diverse image of Sweden worldwide. Since its inception, @Sweden has spurred a tweeting trend that’s achieving global reach, dubbed Rotation Curation by its founders.

CPD Director, Philip Seib, discussed his latest book Real-Time Diplomacy: Politics and Power in the Social Media Era at The Heritage Foundation.

Social media has been often touted for the role it played in the popular uprisings that have spread across the Arab world since December 2010. Despite the buzz, you may be surprised that only 0.26% of the Egyptian population, 0.1% of the Tunisian population and 0.04% of the Syrian population are active on Twitter.

The decline of Australian public diplomacy capabilities is at a critical point. At its lowest point in years, some have been looking at alternative ways for Australia to engage internationally. The Lowy Institute for International Policy, in particular, has long been lamenting that DFAT does not use digital tools or social media to help promote Australia's foreign policy interests.

A natural diplomat skilled at public diplomacy, Clinton has done more than any other Obama administration official to chip away at the image of the United States left behind by George W. Bush. She has established strong working relationships with numerous countries that will ease the way for future American diplomats and State Department officials.

As a prime media tool for a younger-than-ever, interconnected world audience, Facebook is now de rigueur in U.S. foreign policy...While others debate how and when to enter the social media sphere in Zimbabwe, the White House announced the nomination of Ambassador Ray’s successor, due here later this year.

Facebook is Zimbabwe’s top website. According to Google, Facebook was the most popular web search term among Zimbabweans in 2011, replacing “Zimbabwe,” which led the list in 2010 and 2009. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s (ZBC) Power FM, despite its antiquated broadcasting studios, fills its popular music programming with trendy young DJs enthusiastically pushing listeners to follow them on the social networking site while quoting recent FB comments.