A fully funded foreign aid budget is essential to prevent the political instability and violent conflict that harms American security.

Health diplomacy means winning the hearts and minds of those abroad by strategically exporting medical care and humanitarian aid, building in-country capacity, and providing health education, training and personnel. Health diplomacy encompasses a range of services.

On the same day Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will give a major speech on protecting freedom of information, especially in cyberspace, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued a report criticizing the U.S. government for failing to confront the Chinese government's Internet censorship policies.

The Obama administration will pump $25 million this year into helping cyber dissidents foil Internet repression in autocratic states and plans to broaden the reach of its online mini-appeals for human rights and democracy by creating Twitter feeds that cater to audiences in China, Russia and India.

The recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt are sending shockwaves across the Middle East and demonstrating the power of social media to connect citizens striving for democratic reform. During a packed briefing at the U.S. Capitol this morning, new media experts and journalists from U.S. international broadcasters discussed this digital revolution and how the U.S. is taking advantage of its potential for change.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee released its report on the imbalance of public diplomacy activities between China and the United States...Commissioned by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), the Ranking Member of the Committee, the report is a unique and necessary review of Chinese Government engagement in America

But when that fails, the Broadcasting Broad of Governors, which oversees the government-owned media organizations that send pro-American messages to foreign audiences, has begun using social media to go around online restrictions in repressive countries. Perhaps the most important? Facebook.