CPD Summer Institute '09 Alumna, Emily Metzgar, releases a survey through Indiana University on the Japanese Exchange & Teaching program.

The events from Tunisia and Egypt to Yemen and now Libya also shined a spotlight on Al Jazeera, as the Qatar-based news network used its well-positioned reporters to garner scoops and become, almost overnight, a new must-view for millions of global citizens interested in the big Middle East story.

Sports have often been a bridge between cultures. Even when politicians have tried to use sports for propaganda purposes, the spirit of sports has often overcome political problems. The 1936 Olympics come to mind. Hitler’s “master race” blew up in his face because of Jesse Owens.

In CPD Advisory Board member Barry Sanders' article, "Sports and Public Diplomacy" he writes that America's greatest foreign policy challenge is combating violent extremism. Sports and public diplomacy can offer the growing population of youth around the world, whether or not connected to an extremist organizations or philosophies, an alternative to violent activity.

It is of course possible, and probably likely, that the Arab Spring of 2011 will fail, as other springs in the Middle East and elsewhere have never come to fruition. There would still be a case, for reasons of honor and duty, for the United States to try to help, to do the right thing, to stand with the opponents of tyranny, even if one thought them likely, even nearly certain, to fail.

The federal budget deficit will run a record $1.65 trillion in 2011. So why does Washington continue to subsidize foreign governments? The House Republicans appear determined to reduce spending, and one of their targets is foreign “aid.” This year the State Department would lose 16% of its budget; humanitarian aid would drop by 41 percent.

As Israeli Apartheid Week nears, the government on Monday unveiled its latest initiative aimed at debunking the analogy made by Palestinian supporters between the Jewish state and minority rule in South Africa.
At a reception at the Knesset, the Public Diplomacy Ministry presented a diverse group of about 20 volunteer speakers consisting of Arabs, gay rights activists, Ethiopian Jews and a former MTV presenter who will tour campuses in North America later this month highlighting Israeli society’s pluralism.

It's not surprising that the White House worked with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa to end the crackdown on protesters and to hold talks with the country's mainly Shiite-led opposition, after reading classified State Department cables released last week by WikiLeaks.