The State Department on Monday launched a new Turkish-language Twitter account, its 10th official feed designed to spread the word about US foreign policy in a language other than English. The Turkish account is @ABDTurk and will be used by the U.S. Embassy in Turkey.

For Western broadcasters collectively, 2011 was the most potentially devastating year in more than eight decades on the air. Now, because of fiscal uncertainties in their host countries and rapidly evolving competition from both traditional and new media, they face huge cuts in airtime and operations. Can America step up to help fill the gap?

The Chinese government, determined to build the country’s soft power by projecting a better image abroad through culture and to maintain control at home through censorship, is strongly supporting the local industry and restricting foreign rivals.

Second, the rapid and frightening militarization of the conflict has seriously reduced the space for public diplomacy, as Embassy personnel (and Ford himself) have few opportunities to get out to engage.

...China is on the move in Africa, employing a wide range of soft power initiatives to secure influence, trade, and—most critically—the energy and mineral resources the Communist Party needs to continue
the astonishing economic growth that undergirds its legitimacy.

Soft power and diplomacy, particularly in entertainment, is something that America excels at. One of America’s greatest talents is the ability create something universal, but that can also be adapted and accommodate different interests and cultures.9

Hishaam Aidi, writing for Illume Magazine, emphasizes the central role played by hip-hop in the Arab Spring; indeed, as Aidi points out, Time Magazine not only rated Tunisian rapper Hamada Ben Amor ("el General") as being one of the 100 most influential people of 2011...