Increasing U.S.-Iran cultural exchanges could lay the groundwork for better relations between the two countries, believes a prominent think tank here, despite the prevalence of stereotypical memes of the United States as the “Great Satan” and Iran as part of the “Axis of Evil”.

The Embassy of Malta and the Culture Diplomacy Fund in cooperation with The Malta Film Commission organized on the 17 of June 2013 an event entitled ‘CineMalte – les possibilités d’une Ile’. This was the first time ever that such a cultural activity promoting the Maltese cinematographic industry was held in Paris.

The International Association of Music Colleges and Universities (IAMCU) has launched to facilitate global collaboration between schools to 'best equip students for future success'. The three founding schools are: The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London, England, LAMA College for Music Professional in Los Angeles, USA and Academia de Música Fermatta in Mexico City & Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Earth Anthem has been composed and sung by Nepalese musicians Sapan Ghimere and Shreya Sotang and highlights people-to-people relations between Nepal and India, for a better world. Veteran Nepali actor Rajesh Hamal emphasised the need for greater and intensive cultural diplomacy between Nepal and India to advance the interests of both the countries as well as their peoples.

A diverse crowd of more than 500 lovers of art, culture, and intercultural exchange converged on Monday evening at ADC Contemporary & BUILDING BRIDGES International Art Exchange at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. The evening celebrated common bonds between Los Angeles and Qatar.

This Culture Post takes a closer look at five critical roles of the domestic public in public diplomacy. Because traditional public diplomacy has focused primarily on foreign publics, the role of the domestic public may have been overlooked rather than absent. In that sense, the roles may not be new. What is new is the perspective to see it.

India’s answer to those in America who are egging on the Obama administration to get into a trade war with this country is going to be typically Oriental: New Delhi is to soon embark on a major mission to spread the country’s soft power in the US and capitalise on it.

As we prepared recently for this week’s Scottish launch of a British Council-commissioned report by Demos into the role that culture plays in the race for soft power in the 21st century, I thought back on that episode at the LHC; how culture, like the sciences, really does bring people together – even those with very different world views.