With the Obama administration's year-old policy of engagement with Iran hitting a shambolic dead end, the US president is under growing domestic pressure to support the Iranian opposition – a strategy some maintain he has already adopted.

Simple wooden toys might seem like odd things for soldiers to carry with them as they head to war, but 82-year-old Harv Schaefer sees them as a pretty darn good diplomacy tool. "I figure they can make friends with 'em," he said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon ended his visit to Washington on Thursday - a visit which coincided with the current crisis between Washington and Jerusalem, saying that "it's my understanding that this incident is behind us". Apparently, it only just began.

For millions of Chinese, the USA pavilion's show at the Shanghai World Expo will be the closest they'll ever come to an experience of America. What they'll get -- apart from long waits -- is a warm welcome and a dose of Hollywood-style entertainment.

This week’s unusual Congressional hearing on the State Department’s public diplomacy programs featured not only the current ranking official for public diplomacy, Under Secretary Judith McHale, talking about her new “Strategic Approach for the 21st Century,” but also three of her predecessors.

I thought we elected a new president in 2008.

But Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale proudly says she is “on the same page” as her predecessors Karen Hughes and James Glassman in defining a new public diplomacy strategy. She cites “consensus” among members of the undersecretary club.

Readers of this space know there’s been a recent flurry of public activity by those who set the course of U.S. communications efforts with foreign publics.

Indonesia, will host U.S. President Obama, a visit that could establish important scientific ties between the United States and Indonesia and implement a potentially powerful piece of vaccine diplomacy.