The US state department has unveiled an exciting new initiative: using the internet to solicit opinions from people through a website. Extraordinary. The site, called Opinion Space, is a joint project between the state department and the University of California's Berkeley centre for new media.

Last week, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee convened a hearing entitled “The Future of U.S. Public Diplomacy”. The stated objective of the hearing was to assess how U.S. public diplomacy initiatives of the past could be used to inform U.S. public diplomacy activities of the future.

APDS Blogger: Alexis Haftvani

Keep Calm and Carry On. Keep Calm and Carry On. Keep CALM and CARRY On.

Maybe if I say it enough the phrase will sink deep into my subconscious thereby creating a vast reservoir of perseverance and tranquility. Maybe if I stare deeply into the large lettering and bold red hue my brain will find that elusive unwavering resolve and composure that typifies British culture.

The undefined strategy and uncoordinated implementation of public diplomacy renders our attempts to communicate this message unintelligible, though. Regrettably, those selling a different message suffer no such handicap.

The contretemps between President Obama and Israel needs to be seen in a broader global context. The president who ran against "unilateralism" in the 2008 campaign has worse relations overall with American allies than George W. Bush did in his second term.

In a country where film and television attract some of the largest audiences across the Arab world, the tycoon's foray into the Middle East is widely seen in cultural circles as a ruse to benefit Israel.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has called for the United States to share responsibility in the battle against drug traffickers in the two countries. His comments came on a one-day visit to the border city of Ciudad Juarez, where three people connected to the US consulate were killed on Saturday.