Sports diplomacy builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power diplomacy.” It embraces the use of a full range of diplomatic tools, including sports, to bring individuals together to foster greater understanding.

CPD University Fellow Nicholas Cull has most recently published a chapter in the new book Trials of Engagement: The Future of U.S. Public Diplomacy with a chapter on "Karen Hughes and the Brezhnev Syndrome."

Right now many people in the west are quite anxious about the rise of China. Many people in China are very skeptical about the US 's intention towards rising China...we cannot discount the huge importance the US and China's relationship implies to the world. We cannot afford letting confrontation prevail and cooperation wither between our nations.

The transatlantic economy accounts for more than half of the world’s trade and investment. The U.S.-German relationship is at the center of this economy. Since 1989, U.S. direct investment in Germany has more than quadrupled and German investment in the United States has grown seven-fold.

The United States and Germany highly value science and technology (S&T); both have committed to spend 3% of GDP on S&T research and development. More than 50 bilateral cooperation agreements exist between U.S. and German government agencies and scientific institutions along with over 1,500 university partnerships.

Germany today is at the forefront of the Euro-Atlantic relationship, and organizations such as the Atlantic Council, the Atlantik-Bruecke, the German Marshall Fund, the American Council on Germany, and the American Academy in Berlin energize frequent and productive exchanges on shared values, responsibilities and policies.

President Obama is hosting German Chancellor Angela Merkel for an Official Visit June 6-7. The visit reaffirms the strong ties between the United States and Germany, which are grounded in common heritage, ideals, values and interests and encompass a wide variety of endeavors, including cooperating on defense and security...and promoting democracy and human rights.

The Obama administration is embarking on a fundamental overhaul of Voice of America and other official broadcasters — one that seeks to adapt their traditional diplomatic missions to the era of Facebook and Twitter...the need for the United States to get its message across to an often hostile world is greater than ever.