Amsterdam, a co-founder of his law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP, explores connections between public international law and political advocacy. “We need to stop assuming that governments outside of the West behave like ours do,” Amsterdam said. “We are focusing on public diplomacy in Thailand to change the dynamics and change the very thinking of the people. We are using law as a revolutionary instrument.”

The Korean embassy Tuesday night in Abuja treated invited guests including top Nigerian government officials and heads of establishments as well as diplomats to a full course Korean cuisine which the country's Ambassador, Jong hyun-Choi, said would "open the door to the heart of Nigerians", leading to closer relations.

As part of a new federally sponsored program called OneBeat, 32 musicians from 21 countries on 5 continents, almost equally divided between men and women, were brought together to write, produce and record original music and take it on the road for American audiences.

In China, the Gangnam phenomenon carries a special pique. It has left people asking, Why couldn’t we come up with that?... For now, China’s Gangnam moment seems far off. “In China, culture and the arts develop under the watchful eye of the government, and anything too hip or interesting gets either shut down or bought up."

When I hear ‘sports diplomacy’ evoked in conversation I often wince, knowing that 99% of the examples do not live up to the standards of the term. Athletes and coaches who work for a team outside of their country for no purpose other than for a love of the game and personal gain do not always qualify.

With the recent death of Vaclav Havel and the passing of Nelson Mandela into a long twilight, there is only one global figure who nearly universally embodies aspirations for freedom and human dignity around the world. She is "The Lady," Aung San Suu Kyi -- or as she is endearingly termed by her fellow citizens of Burma, Daw Suu.

APDS Blogger: Michael Duffin

When I hear ‘sports diplomacy’ evoked in conversation I often wince, knowing that 99% of the examples do not live up to the standards of the term.

Athletes and coaches who work for a team outside of their country for no purpose other than for a love of the game and personal gain do not always qualify. There is no universal definition of public diplomacy, but from my perspective there must be intention on the part of the actor to influence opinion.

In the history of institutionalized relations between states, the preservation of peace and stability has always been a predominant concern—an ideal that is also enunciated in the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations.