TBS’ late-night talk show Conan secretly sojourned to the island nation, becoming the first American late-night program to broadcast from Cuba in over 50 years. [...] O’Brien’s second travel special, Conan in Armenia, proved to be not only another boon for ratings, but also a powerful example of cultural and public diplomacy.

But cultural policy is not just about preservation and artistic education. What Henestrosa offered is a new approach that emphasizes the potential of culture to boost economic and social development, and the potential of culture in diplomacy.

Some of the world's most expensive and rarely seen modern art, including works by the Americans Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, went on display Saturday in a major exhibition in Iran. 

We’ve had an era of “cultural diplomacy”, when museums aspired to spread global goodwill. Now, as Isis continues to attack both humans and human heritage, it’s time for a more hard-headed approach – the defense of civilization and its treasures. And France is leading the way.

The event recognizes the growing interest in Asian arts internationally and the current threats presented by regional conflicts, natural disasters, and changing populations. Issues addressed at the Summit include the challenges in the work of cultural heritage preservation, the responsibilities of institutions and individuals as stewards of culture, and the technologies and methods used to keep traditions intact and relevant into and beyond the twenty-first century.

Palestine's 2015 Oscar entry, the Wanted 18, tells a tragically absurd story of how a herd of cows are hunted down by Israeli authorities, who did not look fondly on the community's attempts to be self-sufficient. Through archival footage, re-enactments and claymation, film-makers Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan use dark humour to tell this lesser-known tale of a farm gone rogue...

So ISIS takes pop culture, or soft power, very very seriously indeed, even if we don't. The attacks on Paris demonstrate their cultural focus most of all. They attacked restaurants, theaters, and sports events rather than military or political targets […] The forces that will defeat ISIS aren't the army, the navy, and the air force; they're Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. They have to involve themselves in the war.

When the German publisher Don Stone approached Heba Amin to paint Arabic graffiti on the set of Showtime's series Homeland, her initial impulse was to decline, as others had before her […]  [Instead, she] painted statements such as "Homeland is racist" on the set and then put out an artists' statement. The story went viral and has been covered by more than 60 media outlets in numerous languages.