Which would you rather look at? Pictures of war, conflict and violence - or hot guys eating hummus? Four students from the IDC in Herzliya are counting on you choosing the latter. That premise was the idea behind the hottest new Instagram account around: “Hot Dudes Eating Hummus.” [...] “The four of us wanted to create an apolitical branding campaign for Israel to shed some light on the humor, diversity, fun, beauty, and culture that are so vibrant and rich in this country,” 

US authorities and Internet giants are boosting attempts to counter the Islamic State group’s online propaganda, though it is unclear how effective these efforts are in hampering the jihadists’ public-relations machine.

Nevertheless, Indonesia’s coffee export volume is projected to rise this year — which is timely given rising global demand amid volatility of supply. But such ignorance in the US market could eventually undermine Indonesia’s integrity and credibility as one of the largest coffee exporters to the US and the world’s fourth-largest coffee producer. It is a serious wake-up call for all of us to solidify Indonesia’s brand in the world coffee industry.

Digital diplomacy is the use of internet and new information communication technologies to help achieve diplomatic objectives. [...] On this side of the globe, India is leading the way on digital diplomacy. Despite a modest budget in public diplomacy, India’s ministry of external affairs’ Facebook page with more than 1.2 million followers has come second only to the US state department among foreign ministries in the world. 

Albertans have been reading and watching with disbelief the incredible devastation brought by wildfires in Fort McMurray. But while all of us are viewing the destruction and mass evacuations with sympathy, most have no real understanding of their plight. [...] Syrian refugees well understand what those in Fort McMurray are going through. Remarkably, these same people who landed in our province mere months ago are stepping up to aid the wildfire victims

It was a small blip on television news screens at the end of April. Reports of the death of Mohammad Shafi Armar, the head recruiter of the Islamic State (IS) in India, in a U.S. drone strike in Syria, got buried in the din of India’s domestic news. [...] The spate of arrests of Indian sympathizers this year alone has proved that ‘Brand ISIS’ has found its foothold in India.

The US official emphasised that the social media can be more effective tool in the hands of young Arabs to fight extremism and violence if properly used since it is an effective soft power that can spread the message of tolerance, understanding and modernity on a larger scale and enhance the impact of their countries in various global arenas.