In an ever more interdependent world, diplomacy is going beyond official relations and reaching out to people at all levels and between all parts of society, he says. “That’s why social media are gaining more importance. At the German Embassy we are using the networks more and more for our media and public relations activities.

The Texas Embassy Cantinastood near Trafalgar Square in London from 1995 to 2012. This Tex-Mex restaurant was the closest thing to an authentic Texan experience that London had to offer, with everything from Lone Star beer to chicken fried steak. [...]  [It] was far more than a mere kitchen; it was a destination spot for both London locals and visitors from Texas and beyond. 

The much-maligned U.S. State Department under Secretary John Kerry and his highly media-literate deputy, Richard Stengel (a former editor of Time magazine), is re-embracing public diplomacy as a major weapon in the West’s arsenal by dramatizing such issues, as in the Cold War. Europe would do well to follow suit.  For in the long run, ideas must do much of the work.

The best and brightest students and faculty from around the world are drawn to the Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region, home to six major research universities […] In figures compiled by the Institute of International Education (IIE), higher education institutions in Southern California enrolled some 72,762 international students in 2013-2014. 

November 11 is commemorated as Veteran's Day in the United States. But in the UK, France, and other nations, it's remembered as Armistice Day, the day in 1918 when the pointless carnage of World War I came to a halt. This connection to a conflict that killed 17 million people, and accomplished nothing positive as a consequence, makes Armistice Day an appropriate time to reflect on the human costs of war.

Art, as typically viewed in austere galleries, labyrinthine museums or collectors’ homes, is incredibly removed from its raw materials—nature. [...] It’s a type of denial of nature, even though humanity’s advanced culture is still part of nature. But with her series inconsequence / in consequence, artist Alison Moritsugu brings the natural world back into the gallery with new works that [...] highlight environmental urgencies.

The military’s work and diplomacy may seem to be polar opposites, but the reality is the two are closely linked. There is more to military service than fighting wars and today’s military professionals are actively engaged in public diplomacy every day.

“A World in Crisis—How Can Smart Power Make a Difference?” will focus on the diplomacy tools countries can use to improve international stability, [...] “It’s the cluster of things which make up soft power,” he said, “whether that’s public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, cultural relations, nation branding—whateever you want to call it—and how it can be used effectively.”