The global spread of English, with its sometimes corrosive effects on local languages, has caused much hand-wringing in many non-English-speaking corners of the world. But the implications may be more far-reaching in Indonesia...

Addressing years of complaints about slow and inconsistent processing of visa applications for foreign performing artists, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services told arts groups this week that it was making an effort to speed up and improve its visa operations.

As diplomatic efforts to resolve political disputes continue in the Caucasus, civil society groups from countries in the region are working on projects that they hope will help bring hostile nations together.

While U.S. public diplomacy since September 11, 2001, has focused on countering terrorism and the radicalization of the Muslim world, a job increasingly supervised by the Pentagon, China has been moving ahead methodically with its own ambitious global agenda.

In Tere Bin Laden, pop star Ali Zafar makes his debut as a Bollywood hero - a notable coup for a Pakistani actor.

More recently, Taiwan is trying to expand on its reputation and gastro-brand through an initiative to promote Taiwan through enhanced culinary diplomacy.Gastrodiplomacy is predicated on the notion that the easiest path to winning hearts and minds is found through stomachs.

What started as a transatlantic video chat between students at Hampton High School and students in the Republic of Georgia in the former Soviet Union has now become an opportunity to build stronger economic and cultural relations.

As a whole, the [California International Theatre Festival] is an excellent example of cultural diplomacy towards American audiences as presented by various countries such as China, Ireland, Canada and Mexico, among others.