The term “public diplomacy” is problematic, born out of bureaucratic wrestling in the mid-1960’s as the “struggle for minds and wills” gave way to counting tanks, bombers, and missiles. It’s very use today continues to signify something that is different, but it is not a separate line of activity that is discretely separated other “private” or any other diplomacy.

Rolfe was one of seven people honored for their efforts in fostering cross-cultural understanding. The awards, which included one for actor Robert Redford for founding the Sundance Institute, were presented during the U.S. Summit and Global Initiative for Citizen Diplomacy conference Nov. 16-19.

A record 15 million people around the world this year entered America's green-card lottery, an immigration program that offers a quick path to legal, permanent U.S. residence for 50,000 people a year—selected purely by the luck of the draw.

Last week the White House announced the President’s “intent to nominate” two individuals to the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy: Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Sim Farar. These are the first nominations to the Commission by this White House, but certainly not the last.

I often tell audiences at home and abroad that medicine is a language all nations understand. It’s one of the best ways to help people who are in need. Medicine builds bridges, builds trust and cooperation, and working together, our partnership in Djibouti will help improve our two countries for our mutual benefit.

“We want to give these aspiring children boys and girls—wealthy and poor—the opportunity to learn and develop their skills in baseball,” [US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry] Thomas said, citing the case of Filipino-American Tim Lincecum...

In fact, efforts have been underway since 2009: the Earth Institute’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) has been working for the past two years with India’s Ministry of Agriculture and other institutions to improve forecasts of the seasonal monsoon rains that water much of the nation’s farms, and to help farmers manage drought.

This weekend’s Nato summit in Lisbon concluded a flurry of top-level international meetings that, from President Barack Obama’s point of view, were frustrating, unproductive, or plain embarrassing. However, his advisers wish you to know that US standing in the world is not the least bit diminished.