Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the YES Program provides opportunities for high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to live and study in the United States.

We are led to think that diplomacy is a function of this or that Secretary of State, or the exchanges between Presidents -- and of course, that's true. But the foundation of public diplomacy happens through the tight knots tied through high quality, high impact people to people encounters.

The resulting documentary — “Corner Plot” — was shown at festivals in the area. It was recently among the films chosen by the State Department to be shown at embassies around the world as part of a public diplomacy initiative. Dahlman said the Koiners may make their film debut in Tajikistan.

Washington, D.C. and Rome make what could be described as a historic “power couple.” Throughout world history, some of the most significant events have happened in these two cities. Moreover, both capitols are beacons of culture and diplomacy for their respective nations.

Sports diplomacy builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power diplomacy.” It embraces the use of a full range of diplomatic tools, including sports, to bring individuals together to foster greater understanding.

Under the State Department's Whatchamacallit for Public Diplomacy are... Arabic-speaking members of the Digital Outreach Team who respond to blog posts in the region... the State Department has developed its own Twitter and Facebook accounts in Arabic, Persian, and other languages.

Timed to coincide with the lead-up to the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup as well as the 40th anniversary year of Title IX, the initiative builds on Clinton’s vision of “smart power diplomacy” to harness the full range of diplomatic tools at the nation's disposal — in this case international soccer exchanges — to advance United States foreign policy goals and foster greater understanding.