Twitter has become the new soapbox of diplomats. It’s even given rise to a new lexicon — twiplomats practicing twiplomacy.  Indeed, the website Twiplomacy writes that Twitter has become the “channel of choice for digital diplomacy between world leaders, governments, foreign ministries and diplomats.”

Arab students constituted nearly 10 percent of total enrollments of international students at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2014-2015 academic year […] While many Arab students study outside their home region, only a modest number of U.S. students study abroad every year—304,467 worldwide during the 2013-2014 academic year […]

Open Hands Initiative (OHI) will host its 5th international people-to-people exchange to foster dialogue and goodwill between the U.S. and developing countries.

Almost a third of the international students were from China — which means that the country’s economic slump could hit U.S. institutions hard […] And while the numbers of Chinese undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S. increased last year by 13% and 4%, respectively, that pace was down considerably from the 18% and 12% growth of 2013-14. 

The Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) [will] provide "permanent works of American art for U.S. embassies worldwide, contributing to the U.S. Department of State's mission of cultural diplomacy and cross-cultural understanding within the diplomatic community and the international public […] Exciting cultural diplomacy initiatives can be seen through their site-specific commissions.

[…] The Open Hands Initiative will host its 5th international people-to-people exchange to foster dialogue and goodwill between the U.S. and developing countries. […]The three-week exchange […] will provide 16 masters level students in public health, from the U.S. and Colombia, a cultural and educational opportunity that will encourage dialogue and increase mutual understanding around public health issues [...]

He suggested that the case could even be made that to travel is to do service for one's country. Travel and tourism, Whittingdale said, are a form of "soft power. Security is boosted by "greater understanding between countries," he observed. "The more people take advantage of the opportunity to visit other countries, and the more that [citizens of other countries] have exposure to visitors, that is a huge contribution."

China has been the kingdom’s largest customer as well as a provider of sophisticated weapons, including surface-to-surface missiles. But China also has lost patience with the monarchy’s support for Wahhabi Islamists in China and bordering countries. [...] More pertinent than public diplomacy, though, is where China is buying its oil.