A recently launched US State Department campaign aimed at supporting global internet freedom has provided a new framework for renewed discussions among analysts and commentators.

"Countries or individuals that engage in cyber attacks should face consequences and international condemnation," said Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, according to the Wall Street Journal. Clinton went on to specifically name China, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Egypt as countries where "a new information curtain is descending."

Although the editorial in the Wall Street Journal goes on to express support for Secretary Clinton’s initiative, the article does not address the specifics of the plan. Marc Lynch, however, takes a more analytical approach to the anti-censorship strategy.

"There didn’t seem to be much there by way of actual policy initiatives," Lynch writes in his blog for Foreign Policy. He goes on to emphasize that much of the world may interpret Clinton’s statements as thinly veiled rhetoric "calling on the US to use the soft power of the internet to promote regime change in Iran."

Lynch cites a recent opinion piece by former Under Secretary of State James Glassman and international policy expert Michael Doran, in which they advocate directly supporting the anti-government movement in Iran over the internet.

"The problem for Glassman and Doran is that when they talk this way, it makes [soft power] less likely to work...and opens up a whole basket of moral hazard issues," Lynch explains.

Lynch also points out that Secretary Clinton failed to mention nations with which the US has strong diplomatic ties, but are nevertheless engaging in online censorship, such as Jordan.

Indeed, the Global Voices blog highlights some reactions over the recent decision by the Jordanian Cessation Court to subject Jordanian websites to the Press and Publication Law, which puts the same restrictions on the Jordanian web as already exist in its traditional media.

"The general feel in the Jordanian blogosphere seems to be one of defiance. Several bloggers are pushing for an active challenging of the court rule," Global Voices writes. They highlight one angered blogger who says, "This is a golden opportunity for us all to fight together for a decent life. Let us make our voices heard for the whole world, and preferably in Arabic so we could be taken seriously for once."

Secretary Clinton’s speech was immediately prompted by the recent dispute between China and Google, who has "threatened to withdraw from the Chinese market" due to accused hack attempts against human rights activists in the country, says Charles Recknagel at Radio Free Europe.

Google may not, however, be as quick to take action against internet repression in the Middle East, claims David Shamah at the Jerusalem Post. "Google not only does not protest the censorship and invasive net practices of Arab governments-- it even cooperates with them," he writes.

The US government seems nonetheless intent on utilizing new media platforms to reach out to users in the Arab world. For example, the US Embassy in Baghdad has launched a Facebook fan page "with the aim of reaching out to Iraqis who want to learn more about American culture and society," according to Gulf News. A spokesman for the embassy said the page will "spotlight American music, sports and holidays."

Another endeavor to promote democratic online involvement comes with the Spirit Initiative, a website launched with the express goal of addressing the Arab-Israeli conflict, writes the Jerusalem Post.

The Spirit Initiative "seeks to apply the technical savvy of young thinkers to some of the world’s oldest and most destructive conflicts," says the article. The site is not yet fully operational, and is run by a group of college student volunteers.

"We’re trying to minimize limitations and boundaries," the project’s creator, Gal Bar Dea, told the Jerusalem Post. "The whole notion is to allow the crowd to lead the way, to work together to create the building blocks for peace."

Bar Dea may find a difficult customer in Saudi Arabia, where heavy censorship and morality laws make many users reticent to engage openly in discussions online. Asharq-Alawsat highlights one recent study which showed that among the few Saudi females online, most do not use their real names when posting content.

Whether or not the State Department’s new initiative is successful, many analysts are expressing a concern for a policy that could end up backfiring on the US. "It’s great to support and encourage internet activists and protesters of all sorts," writes Marc Lynch.

"But such support can lead them to take some very risky, dangerous activities against their brutal governments, perhaps in the expectation that the United States will protect them... I hope [the State Department has] thought about these questions...before they raised the flag."