In order to tighten the artistic and cultural connection between the U.S. and Taiwan, the MMA has donated to MoNTUE 100 pieces of plaster sculptures that date from between the Medieval period to the late 19th century.The Public Diplomacy Section Chief of the American Institute in Taiwan, Sheila Paskman (裴士蓮), said that cultural soft power and diplomacy have brought Taiwan and America a new method of communication and exchange.

Early adopters in countries like Morocco, Algeria and Palestine have a more strongly developed and time-tested hip-hop scene—but across the greater Arab world, hip-hop has risen up alongside folk anthems as a revolutionary soundtrack. And in the Western world, Arab diaspora rap preoccupies itself with questions of Eastern and Western dislocated identity.

Word is out that the U.K. has toppled the U.S. in Monocle’s 2012 Soft Power Survey. Given all the positive news coming out of the Isles this year, one should neither be surprised, nor particularly worried. Chances are, there are likely some who are not impressed. As evidenced by the Obama-Maroney photo released by the White House yesterday, American memes have a soft power of their own and American culture is strong.

For nearly two hundred years the measure of a nation’s progress has been its capacity to Westernize. Today, to a great extent, China has shifted this narrative. In the last three decades, China has lifted over 500 million of its people out of poverty according to the World Bank. The scale and speed of China’s growth are unprecedented. The world has never seen anything like the rise of China according to Martin Jacques, author of bestseller ‘When China Rules the World: the End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order.’

That Nigeria was born with great and positive dreams in 1960 is accepted by all. Taking the pulse of the domestic and international opinion in 1960, there was an expectation that Nigeria was going to be a great nation because it had a large population that dwarfed the population of most of the African states, it had vast quantities of natural resources and it had an enlightened elite, that was educated and experienced.

The Governments of the Union of Myanmar and the United States; affirming their commitment to the global effort to combat human trafficking, a modern form of slavery that afflicts both of our nations; recognizing the requirements and provisions of the UN Protocol to Suppress, Punish, and Prevent Trafficking in Persons.

China will adopt a more proactive policy to engage in international affairs and be a responsible nation that promotes peace and stability by enhancing cooperation and bringing benefits to its neighbors and other nations. Those were the comments of experts and scholars on China's foreign policy direction after the conclusion of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Being the president has its perks and pirouettes, as Halpern found out when she danced with Prince Henrik. You can picture the Danish American Society president, Lisa Resling Halpern, standing in the schoolyard, self-consciously trying to explain to the other nine-year-olds that she is both Danish and American, Lutheran and Jewish.