A North Korean and a French orchestra performed a landmark concert on Wednesday, adding a note of harmony to long-standing tensions between the isolated nation and the West. Most of the 90 North Koreans musicians — many under age 30 — were performing with a Western ensemble for the first time.

Last month was my third trip to Pakistan as a violinist and the founder of Cultures in Harmony, a US-based NGO that promotes cultural understanding through music. One of the two words that best describe this trip is “frustration.” Pakistan has a vibrant and compelling culture, yet who sees this side of it?

Through increased military and civilian cultural exchanges possible through the creation of “NATO Academies,” as well as by augmenting NATO’s existing web presence with value-centric initiatives and collaborative efforts in cyber-security awareness, unity among Member states can be fortified.

...I was at a restaurant in New York City's East Village looking for ways to experience elements of India without leaving home. By observing differences between the real India and the India of New York City, I learned many important cultural lessons.

“The cultural impact of Indian cuisine, literature, films, music and sporting events will increasingly be felt globally through and beyond India’s vast diaspora,” writes Mr. Kitchen. This is likely to be more significant than any “constructive international role” India will continue to play.

Although the Chinese government has invested heavily in promoting the spread of Chinese culture overseas, some art groups do not agree with the funding behavior. They say the best way to successfully introduce China's cultural products into mainstream Western society is through commercial channels.

Through such platforms as overseas visits by Chinese leaders, receiving visits to China by foreign leaders, the Beijing Olympic Games and Shanghai World Expo, we engaged in dynamic public and cultural diplomacy...and showed to the rest of the world a China that is culturally-advanced, democratic, open and making continuous progress.

"Deepening cultural exchanges with foreign countries, and promoting Chinese and foreign cultures to learn from each other" has been listed as one of the major tasks of the Chinese government in 2012, says the government work report delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao at the opening ceremony of the National People's Congress in Beijing.