Recent developments in Ukraine have been nothing less than astonishing -- and that's just as true of seasoned observers of Eastern Europe as it is of everyone else. Russia's bold and illegal military intervention issues a startling challenge not just to Ukrainian independence but also to the very foundations of the post-war liberal order. 

Tags: eastern europe, foreign policy, georgia, hard power, military diplomacy, nato, russia, suprastate diplomacy, ukraine, vladimir putin

When you grow up in England, breakfast is an event. Not in the, “Let’s do breakfast!” way that I imagine West Coast movie types emptily holler at one another across busy studio lots, but as a deep-rooted part of our cultural makeup. Take, for example, the ‘Full English,’ a centuries-old national obsession with a symbolic breakfast table heaving with bacon, sausage, and smoked fish.

Tags: breakfast, Cultural Diplomacy, customs, gastrodiplomacy, gastronomy, history, south korea, tourism

Canada’s hockey teams twice dashed the U.S.’s Olympic dreams last month, and now they have the beer to celebrate their victory. The Canadian government confirmed on Twitter they had received the payment for the bet President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made on the gold medal match between the women’s teams and semifinal match between the men’s teams.

Tags: 2014 sochi winter olympics, barack obama, beer, canada, hockey, stephen harper, united states

As a result of the recent events that have taken place in Venezuela, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) have both called for discussions. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would like to see the conflicts resolved within the context of UNASUR and has rejected attempts by the OAS to address the situation.

Tags: conflict resolution, inter-american commission on human rights, latin america, organization of american states, panama, suprastate diplomacy, unasur, united states, venezuela

Asia marked International Women’s Day on Saturday with little to celebrate. Despite mooted reforms, the region’s slow progress has been estimated to cost up to $50 billion a year in lost economic opportunities alone, in addition to huge social costs.

Tags: asia, economy, gender, india, inequality, international women's day, pakistan, south asia, world bank

Many investors have been stampeding out of emerging-market bonds, but they’re falling in love with Colombia. Investors have poured $622.5 million into Colombia’s bond market since the start of the year, the biggest inflow into any emerging-market country so far in 2014, according to fund flow tracker EPFR Global.

Tags: colombia, economy, emerging markets, foreign direct investment, investment, south america, trade diplomacy

But it's nuts to talk about Ukraine the same way. Putin didn't invade Crimea because the decadent West was aimlessly sunning itself on a warm beach somewhere. He invaded Crimea because America and the EU had been vigorously promoting their interests in a country with deep historical ties to Russia.

Tags: barack obama, crimea, europe, european union, foreign policy, hard power, middle east, russia, ukraine, vladimir putin

Three Arab countries have banned the Hollywood film "Noah" on religious grounds even before its worldwide premiere and several others are expected to follow suit, a representative of Paramount Pictures told Reuters on Saturday.

Tags: bahrain, censorship, cinema, film diplomacy, islam, noah, paramount pictures, prophet muhammad, qatar, united arab emirates