Cultural Diplomacy

The Indian embassy in Cairo was quick to spot the rising fame and popularity of Gandhi among young Egyptians during and after the Egyptian revolution that overthrew former president Hosni Mubarak's long-time rule in 2011. Seizing the opportunity, the embassy in Cairo supported by INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future and the Public Diplomacy Division, ministry of external affairs, Government of India, announced a competition for children: 'Did you sense the spirit of Gandhi in Tahrir Square?'

“Enjoy the city of Jerusalem … and go back home as strong ambassadors of the state of Israel and the city of Jerusalem." While this largely evangelical movement is most well organized in the US, its most rapid growth is coming from developing countries like Brazil and Nigeria, which have not traditionally supported the Jewish state.

For a brief moment on Tuesday, the nuclear dispute between Iran and the United States took a back seat to sport...Diplomatic ties between Iran and the United States have been cut since 1980 after Iranian students took 52 U.S. diplomats hostage in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution. But wrestling, one of Iran's most popular sports, has proven a rare arena in which the two countries have friendly relations.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman brought his basketball skills and flamboyant style -- neon-bleached hair, tattoos, nose studs and all -- on Tuesday to the isolated Communist country with possibly the world's drabbest dress code: North Korea. Arriving in Pyongyang, the American athlete and showman known as "The Worm" became an unlikely ambassador for sports diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

Last night was one big sister act at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.The center’s first female leader, Jane Harman, jokingly referred to Anita McBride, the former chief of staff to Laura Bush, as her “little sister.” McBride is now executive in residence at American University’s School of Public Affairs. Harman is the center’s director, chief executive and president.

The Book of African Records is a project that is researching African records. These records, dating back to the times when records began, are to be published annually, with the first edition expected by the researchers to come out before the end of 2014.

The project is widely seen as part of a charm offensive launched by Azerbaijan in France that aims, in effect, to buy goodwill and counteract bad publicity arising from Baku s poor rights record. France, as a major European Union power, is a natural target for such a campaign; it ranks as Azerbaijan s fifth-largest investor, primarily in the energy sector. And with a large Armenian Diaspora population, the country has also been an important diplomatic booster of Baku s longtime antagonist, Armenia.

Neaplis from diverse backgrounds will be benefitting from the Seattle-based Spectrum Dance Theater which is scheduled to launch the worldwide Dance Motion USA cultural exchange program in Nepal as an event sponsored by the U.S. Department of State in Nepal.

Pages