Google can be seen as an American political tool, argues cyber diplomacy analyst Evgeny Morozov in a new editorial pegged to the announcement of an Iranian national search engine. Furthermore, he indicts many Silicon Valley companies for collaborating with the State Department to turn business matters into political questions.

A U.S. “Legacy of Waste” in Iraq, by Liz Sly, Los Angeles Times, documents the culmination of seven years of failed public diplomacy...

One of the lessons of Iraq, he [President Obama] said, is that “American influence around the world is not a function of military force alone.” “We must use all the elements of our power, including our diplomacy, our economic strength and the power of America’s example, to secure our interests and stand by our allies,” he said.

Under U.S. law, nearly all of our food aid is produced in the United States—predominantly by large agribusinesses like Archer Daniel Midland—and nearly all is delivered to stricken countries by American shippers. The system is shamefully rife with inefficiencies and misplaced priorities.

The continuing controversy over a proposed Islamic community center and mosque to be built near the site of the former World Trade Center has some in the counterterrorism community worried about the fallout in the Muslim world.

Jazz legend Mike Clark has confirmed plans for a tour of Russia next month, to promote cultural diplomacy and to introduce audiences in Moscow, Siberia, St. Petersburg and elsewhere to his acclaimed Owl Studios release, ‘Carnival of Soul'.

Three groups from the 25th Infantry Division Band will travel to Russia and China Sept. 3-13 to perform at different events and represent the United States military.

TAMPA --- At the headquarters of U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, some young civilians are pushing back at extremist messages that permeate Internet forums. This Digital Engagement Team’s members, who are fluent in Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu, comb through online postings in their respective languages looking for incendiary or inaccurate commentary about U.S. military operations or related activity. When these messages are found, the team prepares “engagements” that challenge the writer’s logic or facts.