“The best way to advance America's interests in reducing global threats and seizing global opportunities is to design and implement global solutions. ...We must use what has been called ‘smart power,’ the full range of tools at our disposal -- diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal and cultural -- picking the right tool or combination of tools for each situation."

On August 10, 1878, along the shore of a hazy blue lake in southwestern New York state, a Methodist Bishop and his flock of summer retreat parishioners kicked off a book club with big ambitions. Their four year course of independent reading aimed to raise education levels all across small town and rural America. More than 8,400 people enrolled that first year, returning to their homes to start over 10,000 local “circles” by 1900.

As part of growing business relations and exchanges between Zimbabwe and the United States, eight Zimbabwean local government officials today in Chicago concluded a ten-day visit to three U.S. cities.

As a prime media tool for a younger-than-ever, interconnected world audience, Facebook is now de rigueur in U.S. foreign policy...While others debate how and when to enter the social media sphere in Zimbabwe, the White House announced the nomination of Ambassador Ray’s successor, due here later this year.

And earlier this year, Ray urged dialogue to address the differences between Harare and Washington...Ray struck a unique connection with Zimbabweans by openly engaging them on Twitter [@charlieray45] and Facebook on a range of subjects.

Muparutsa was a very modest master of cultural diplomacy -- the use of culture to communicate and to convey salient human circumstances and to point towards the necessity to appreciate complex human behaviour and their resultant effects.

Michael Brooke, the Public Diplomacy officer at the US embassy said: “We hope the visit will inspire more women and girls to become involved in sports and experience the benefits of participation; improved health, greater self-esteem, and greater academic success.

“Many production companies in Korea are recruiting competent talents from foreign countries to enrich the contents of K-pop (Korean music genre) and Zimbabwe’s artists are also candidates for such co-operations,” said Korean Embassy Counsellor, Choi Young-joon.