Cultural diplomacy encompasses everything from training in modern dance to training in modern politics. At first glance, it seems a relatively non-threatening way to project identity and influence, but its impact can be profound. China’s President Hu Jintao recently warned that “international hostile forces are intensifying the strategic plot of Westernizing and dividing China,” and added that “the international culture of the West is strong while we are weak.”

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has announced that 100 students from Pakistan are participating in the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program’s (Global UGRAD-Pakistan) arrival orientation in Washington, D.C.

American dance companies are once again heading overseas to practice a kind of choreographed diplomacy as part of the second season of DanceMotion USA. The program, according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “embraces the full use of diplomatic tools, in this case dance, to engage people and create opportunities for greater understanding.”

What can the United States do to help Nigeria address the immediate security crisis? The first priority should be to neutralize Boko Haram without a massive display of American counter-terrorism prowess, which could provoke the public backlash seen elsewhere. Second is to engage Nigeria’s vast diaspora, perhaps a million-strong in the United States.

As part of its efforts to harness digital technologies for public diplomacy, the US State Department has decided to open up its daily press briefings by letting people across the globe tweet their questions in several languages, including Hindi and Urdu.

Country branding is founded (like disciplines such as public diplomacy) on the realization that, in an overcrowded global information marketplace, countries and political leaders are, in effect, competing for the attention of investors, tourists, supranational organizations, non-government organizations, regulators, media and consumers.

Young Indians, who have embraced Levis, McDonalds and MTV, are hungering for Western television. In an effort to attract younger viewers without offending the older ones, Indian TV is now showing some of America's edgiest shows – but cutting out the edge.

Laughter is the best medicine, but it could also make good diplomacy. That’s what U.S. diplomats in India are hoping for with a State Department-sponsored comedy tour. The “Make Chai, Not War” stand-up tour is on a mission to break down religious barriers between Indians and promote U.S.-India cultural ties.