Plenty of performers go abroad on missions of cultural diplomacy aimed subtly at shoring up relations between their own nation and others. And then there are the three dozen dancers and singers of “Water Is Rising,’’ a show that is not coy about its purpose.

At the same time, no fundamental changes have occurred in the sources of the United States’s power and influence, such as the economy, science and technology, military strength, international political influence, and cultural soft power.

American soft power — its ability to attract and persuade — is increasingly undermined by the government’s inability to take strong action on climate change, something that local opposition to clean energy development only makes worse.

Caribbean recipients of the prestigious US Fulbright Scholarships will share their experiences throughout November in Facebook chats hosted by the United States Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

New perspectives enhanced the education of Air War College students as 15 State Department diplomats participated in seminars during the National Security Decision Making...Their visit was an opportunity... to learn from each other about public diplomacy and global issues.

"America's Foreign Service officers and military personnel represent our country all over the world... This photography exhibition provides a unique view of their work to resolve conflicts and forge new partnerships and advance America's interests and values.

It seems to me, whether it’s called soft power or smart power, it’s a very wise thing to do to invest in development, and it’s very short-sighted to not see the link between our national security and what’s going on anywhere in the world.

Given that so many American groups, from Christian evangelicals and the American Jewish community to the oil lobby, have a position on the U.S.-Israel relationship, it’s hardly surprising the issue generates heated emotions that tend to make the subject impervious to analysis. This affects American decision-making and public diplomacy