The scene from Treme instantly reminded me of the critical role of culture in the regeneration of a post-disaster community or locale. Whether the trauma is caused by a war, a natural disaster or an economic crisis, cultural outreach is a complementary tool to existing methodologies of social recuperation.

Russia is currently in the process of building a network of promoting the nation’s language and culture throughout the world. The idea of promoting the Russian language and Russian culture as national heritage and creating a Russian diaspora abroad has received strong support from the state ever since the Russky Mir (Russian World) Foundation was founded in 2007.

"Our primary concern is to make an easier road for overseas Chinese students who want to go back to China, but we also want to make it easier for those in China who wish to study in the U.S.," says [Chinese Returnees International] member Sue Wang, a graduate of Michigan State University.

British Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata Sanjay Mark Wadhwani has underscored the need for steady and enhanced trade and investment, besides economic and cultural relations between the UK and India, considering the long stating relations between the two great nations.

Today's cultural diplomacy efforts look dramatically different than they did twenty or thirty years ago. In the post-Cold War, Internet, Twitter and Facebook era, government-sponsored cultural initiatives focus on fostering the types of cross-cultural encounters that can ultimately engender mutual understanding.

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme says the creation of a European Union foreign minister — the job currently held by the U.K.'s Catherine Ashton — has freed him up to conduct what he calls "economic diplomacy."

Guests will have the opportunity to see firsthand some of the outstanding photographs of the original Jazz Ambassadors, part of the traveling exhibition – Jam Session: America’s Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World. The reception will also feature performances by talented young jazz musicians – the jazz greats of tomorrow.

If it's not the Greatest Show on Earth, then the World Expo opening next month in Shanghai is surely the biggest, in keeping with China's striving to do everything on a gargantuan scale.