Turkey is enjoying a wave of cultural soft power in the Arab world thanks to its popular soap operas, American University in Cairo President Lisa Anderson says, She notes that Arabs are attracted to the shows because they show that a Muslim country can produce modern stories...

As well as a huge exercise in soft power — Eurovision is by far the biggest nonsporting live television event in the world — the competition also gives countries a chance to touch on issues of global importance in their songs, while carefully sticking to the rules, which ban specific political messages.

There is no doubt that the Chinese government tries to present to the world a cultural landscape that accords with its own political narrative...But there is equally little doubt that Chinese publishing today is a vast and varied field in which it is not hard to find writers who both satirise and criticise the Communist party and its record.

If a high-profile event focusing on Chinese literature risks further undermining freedom of expression in China, then why is the British Council teaming up with the body responsible for censorship to bring a bevy of Chinese authors to London?

Through a cultural diplomacy program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, she helped some of Northern Africa’s most talented vocalists take a brave and historic step: singing in public. In some parts of the region, women are not only discouraged from singing...

DanceMotion USASM builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power” diplomacy. It embraces the full use of diplomatic tools, in this case dance, to engage people and create opportunities for greater understanding.