For those of us interested in cultural diplomacy, the Hajj exhibition is remarkable because it has been made possible by cooperation from Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Malaysia, Mali, and Qatar. Some of these nations often do not play well with others, so their loaning precious items to the British Museum is an important step toward participating in global cultural exchange.

“The cultural dynamism, the monetary stability, the process of social inclusion — all of that makes Brazilian culture a very valid pathway for the exercise of soft power, a way to make our society better known and better understood by others,” said Celso Lafer, a former foreign minister who is also an author and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

The Confucius Institute in Armenia was founded three years ago and it had an auditorium of 100 people and that number keeps increasing. Around 50 students were able to continue their education in China due to the institute.

“We are challenged every day by what the Chinese are doing in public diplomacy."... China has “checked the print ‘box’” and has moved into broadcasting and in-person programs at the Confucius Institutes, she said, all adding up to a powerful public diplomacy force – and a huge investment in public diplomacy.

Sports diplomacy builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power,” which embraces the full range of diplomatic tools – in this case the game of basketball – to bring people together to foster greater understanding.

APDS Blogger: Marissa Cruz-Enriquez

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo partnered with Share the Mic, a company that strategically matches emerging artists with non-profit causes, to develop the contest to empower Egyptian women...In this time of uncertainty and change, the Embassy developed an innovative program that delivers something young Egyptian women want: a platform to leverage their own voices.

Japan is known to use cherry trees as a gesture of goodwill, and in Washington DC, one beneficiary of Tokyo's flower power diplomacy, the blossom season is an annual party highlight. But in Taiwan, it is more than that.