On December 17 and 18, The Institute for Policy and Strategy at IDC Herzliya is hosting a conference at the Daniel Hotel in Herzliya, called Media as Theater of War, the Blogosphere, and the Global Battle for Civil Society.

The entire program is here, but I would like to direct your attention to the following three events:

1. Allison is hosting a panel called The New Kid on the Block: Blogosphere and Mainstream Media in Lebanon on Sunday afternoon

2. I will be participating in a panel called Cyberspace as a Media Revolution: Implications for Israeli Public Diplomacy ( I'll be focusing more on the role of cyberspace as a revolution in real-time communication; the rather grand theme of Israeli public diplomacy is not exactly my, er, sphere. ;) ).

3. There's going to be a reception for conference participants and Israeli bloggers at the hotel on Sunday at 6.30  in the evening. I've sent out a message to the Hebrew language bloggers via Hanan and Yossi; Russian and Other speakers, please spread the word. Think of it this way: This is our chance to have a big bloggers' bash at a plush hotel, with free food. 

Via Ouriel's blog, I bring you a video recording of Shimon Peres addressing the audience at LeWeb3, an annual bloggers'conference held in Paris.

Find out why one of the world's most experienced diplomats thinks those of us who are depressed at the current state of the world might be overdoing the gloom and doom. As Ouriel notes, the audience was completely silent while Mr. Peres spoke, and rose to give a standing ovation at the end.