Remember Czech artist David Cerny's "Entropa"? The sculpture, which showed stereotypes of all 27 EU member states, was perhaps the most memorable symbol of the otherwise ill-fated Czech EU presidency in the first half of 2009.

n the immediate aftermath of the IDF’s takeover of the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara during last year’s pro-Hamas flotilla to Gaza, Israel’s greatest public diplomacy victory came in the form of a private initiative by Latma... a satirical media criticism website...

It is convenient to represent cultures as monolithic entities especially if they are to be seen as a threat to “our” way of life. It is clear from the poetry, music and voices in general that the Arab culture is not such an entity. In this age of musical and political cosmopolitanism, as opposed to alienating exclusivism or anything-goes pluralism, I hope for a celebration of every viable strand in our tapestry.

If the story of “Fuchun Mountains” is richly symbolic of China’s tumultuous history and its six-decade estrangement from Taiwan, then the painting’s reunification last month at the National Palace Museum here in the Taiwanese capital is a made-to-order metaphor for the reconciliation that Communist Party leaders have long imagined for what they deem a breakaway province.

“Taiwan’s pop music represents an important aspect of the country’s soft power, with cultural flair and business potential, and has taken the lion’s share of the Chinese-speaking market,” GIO Minister Philip Yang said at a news conference. “The tours will take the beautiful and diverse sounds of Taiwan to our neighbors,” he said.

This month, Indonesians will get a chance to learn more about their neighbors to the north through a special cultural exchange program called "Experience China"...A series of cultural events, including music performances, film screenings, kung fu exhibitions and book fairs, will be held throughout July in the cities of Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Semarang.

Globally, Yoani Sánchez’s blog, is available in a score of languages and gets up to 14 million visits a month. Within Cuba, though, the dictatorship of Fidel and Raúl Castro has from the start sought to silence her and prevent other Cubans from reading what she calls her “little vignettes of reality.”

Egypt has approved of setting up a cultural bureau in China's capital Beijing as part of its efforts to enhance cultural exchange with China, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported Sunday. Egypt's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Amr Salama said the bureau aimed at stronger relations between the two countries in cultural, scientific, and educational fields.