The U.S. government aims to watch social media sites more closely, deepening its involvement in online activities at the likely cost of civil liberties.

Harnessing the power of mentoring, the Department, in collaboration with espnW, will connect international and American women to build capacity and create sustainable sports opportunities for underserved women and girls worldwide.

Using the hashtag #AskState, participants from around the world can simultaneously submit questions and share ideas directly with Under Secretary Sonenshine about U.S. public diplomacy.

Last month, the U.S. propaganda industry dodged a bullet. In a naked bid to expose the American public to American diplomacy, two Congressmen—Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Mac Thornberry (R-Texas)—added an amendment to the House’s version of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act to end a longtime ban on the domestic dissemination of public diplomacy information prepared by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

The U.S. State Department joined ESPN’s women’s unit in creating a mentoring program that links emerging international female sports leaders and American women in the same fields.

Three years ago—back when I was still a carefree cyberutopian—I wrote a short essay on “high-tech diplomacy” for Newsweek. That essay—by far the glibbest text I've ever written—chided American diplomats for not exploiting the immense digital soft power that a company like Amazon had to offer.

This United Nations Rio+20 Earth Summit happening now is a reminder of how little has been achieved since 1992, the last time diplomats gathered there to focus on global environmental perils. The final segment of the Rio+20 meeting opened yesterday with no coherent agenda and is likely to close tomorrow with few practical outcomes.