Trying to survive in our changing world over the past twenty years, many large and small countries have made certain attempts to adopt some foreign policy tools that were invented in the United States. The international community is most actively discussing the factor of "soft" or "smart" power, which has become an important element in maintaining, supporting and strengthening America's global leadership. 

Six hundred people came to USC to hear scholars and experts talk about the challenges of electoral politics everywhere, and especially in Armenia. [...] Their message resonated with the capacity crowd at USC’s Bovard Auditorium who interrupted with applause more than a dozen times during the Celebrity Diplomacy program hosted by USC Institute of Armenian Studies.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan Platform for Peace is a unique platform put forward by human rights activists and representatives of non-governmental organizations and civil society of Armenia and Azerbaijan [...] He noted that for the first time since the beginning of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani civil society have decided to create such a platform.

In order to tackle the problems that the EU is facing first and foremost, it should have to undertake crucial responsibilities and duties concerning the rational arrangement or the strengthening of relations with Russia. [...] Thus, the transition from competition to collaboration can give them benefits and gain them a “win-win” position in different kind of fields including energy, free trade and visa liberalization, economy, military, tourism, healthcare and education and related areas. 

“The documentary, titled ‘Neighbors in Memory…A Personal Journey,’ will be a first of its kind project, exploring the Armenian-Turkish relationship from the bottom up, starting from the reeducation of one Turkish woman and weaving in the thoughts and feelings of others who have been pondering the question: why does this hundred year old event, the Armenian Genocide, continue to be so controversial, so sensitive and so significant?”

In Spain, for example, for every chime of the clock at midnight, people eat one grape. Each of the 12 grapes represents good luck for a month of the coming year, but only for those who can get them all in their mouths before the clock finishes striking. Here is a sampling of other traditions from around the globe that, like Spain’s grape-eating, have found their way to the United States.

"I think it's a great idea, when civil society takes the initiative in resolving this long 'frozen' conflict. [...] I am absolutely sure that if public diplomacy starts its work, this should lead to tangible results, because it usually becomes a signal for the government to start an active resolution of existing conflicts."