Obama clearly views Hollywood as an expression of American soft power, and its ability to shape the preference and perceptions of other nations.  As for the North Korean regime ... Hollywood movies, in their most surreal forms, constitute a direct assault on political fantasies, which underpin autocracies and their megalomaniac leaders.

Tags: media diplomacy, cinema diplomacy, post-modern world, united states, north korea, digital diplomacy, soft power

 While expressing readiness to extend help to Nepal in various nine prioritized areas, China has announced to make a substantial increase in its grant assistance to Nepal. 

Tags: china, nepal, foreign aid, assistance, grant increase, harmonious coexistence, bilateral talks

Australia has begun formalising the use of koalas as a "soft power" diplomatic strategy, with a 600-page manual having been drawn-up by the foreign affairs department and the marsupials increasingly being given to regional allies.

Tags: australia, rise, koala diplomacy, influence, G20 Summit, soft power, diplomatic strategy, regional allies

Established powers' resistance to their rising counterparts' demands for a larger role in setting the global agenda fuel tensions and disrupt the existing world order. That is precisely what has been occurring lately between China and the United States, and is the impetus for China's "Asia for the Asians" policy.

Tags: china, united states, hard power, soft power, diplomacy, asia, 'asia for asians', government pd

Russia-watchers and Russians have spent much of the year debating what's behind Putin's adventurism in Ukraine, his meddling in eastern Europe's Baltic states, his support for anti-American dictators like Syria's Bashar al-Assad and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and the headaches he is generally causing Western leaders.

Tags: putin, russia, great power, geopolitical racketeer, the west, north korea, ukraine, baltic states, syria, anti-americanism, government pd

A look at the events in 2014 likely to have the most lasting impact on the region and beyond.

Tags: south asia, 2014, top ten, diplomacy, regional diplomacy, united states, afghanistan, india, election

This holiday season has stood out a bit from others, being the first time, at least as far as I can recall, that cyber warfare and the fictional assassination of North Korea's Supreme Leader have featured so very prominently in news and personal discussions. The Sony Pictures release of The Interview [...] has actually generated some interesting ideas about cybersecurity, information warfare, and a host of other issues.

Tags: sony pictures, united states, both korea, cybersecurity, the interview, hack, cyberattack, conflict, technology

Want to determine how a couple falls in love? In Israel? A group of Tel Aviv students is utilizing the latest interactive video technology to tell a love story and give Israeli tourism a boost.

Tags: israel, israeli students, interactive video, digital diplomacy, love, tourism, tel aviv