The 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition, which begins Nov. 6, is the perfect opportunity for Taiwan to showcase its soft power to the global community, Taipei City Mayor Hau Long-bin said Nov. 5.

Doha has a prestigious Islamic art museum and Abu Dhabi is building offshoots of New York's Guggenheim and Paris' Louvre. But it is film festivals that have emerged as the prestige cultural event of choice since Dubai launched its version in 2004 - poster child for its drive to become a glamorous destination for the international jetset.

Last week the Shanghai Expo 2010 closed. On three sweltering days this summer I toured the vast and frenzied space that was the Expo. My objective was to see how the nations of the world were representing themselves to the Chinese public and how each responding to the Expo’s official theme: ‘Better City, Better Life.’

When President Barack Obama visits Indonesia this month (November 9-10), he is expected to recognize the work of Peace Corps volunteers as a model for cultural and educational exchanges between the United States and the largest Muslim majority country.

With funding from international organizations, a dairy farm in Tubas in the West Bank produces gourmet Italian cheeses with a little Palestinian spice.

Films and art are not designed to be a substitute for political strategies but can instead be used to challenge stereotypes and emphasise on the human experience even with a critical approach; thus they become a major cultural export in transcending prejudice, xenophobia and differences.