In a few days, Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will visit Washington, a significant step for the country which has NATO’s second largest conventional army. The visit will also take place after a deeply troubled Turkish-Israeli relationship will have been reset at a proper level, after President Barack Obama’s successful intermediation.

A collection of valuable books was donated to the Qatar National Library’s Heritage Collection Building, by Carmen De La Peٌa, Spain’s Ambassador, recently. It was presented in collaboration with the Islamic Library of the Spanish Agency for Cooperation and Development (AECID) and Casa Arabe, a Spanish public diplomacy institution focused on relations with the Arab world.

The Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy (ACIEP) will meet on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. in Room 1105 of the Harry S. Truman Building. Hosted by Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Jose W. Fernandez and Committee Chairman Theodore Kassinger, the meeting will last until approximately 4:00 p.m. and is open to the public.

In light of the ongoing controversy over Benghazi, the New York Times’ Room for Debate asked contributors to weigh in on Hillary Clinton’s record as secretary of state. Clinton drew significant praise from some contributors. Philip Seib of the Center on Public Diplomacy said, “More than any previous secretary of state, Clinton ‘got it’ in terms of understanding the importance of public diplomacy as a foreign policy tool.”

China has been trying to integrate with the world through a modest and self-disciplining approach rather than be disregardful and aggressive. Concepts such as equal communication and putting aside minor differences so as to seek common ground, which are lacking in US soft power theories, are exactly the allure of China's soft power.

Amid her travels around the world, Clinton always made time for town hall-style meetings where she could directly engage with the public. She recognized that such events were essential because these people had formed and discussed opinions about the United States by connecting with the larger world.

While a large number of self-financing students come to India every year, experts blame poor diplomacy of high commissions abroad who are entrusted with popularising the scholarship schemes in their respective countries through media and educational bodies. “Bureaucratic approach of our embassies and lack of transparency in the selection process deters common student to apply for these scholarships,” said an office of Indian Foreign Service.

For many Russians, the notion of soft power was once something of an oxymoron, like icy fire. Yet, watching the success of the US and the EU in getting others to want what the Americans and Europeans have to offer, they changed their minds and even sought to imitate their competitors' performance. Now, enhancing Russia's soft power is one of the tasks the Kremlin has given to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, a special agency for international cooperation has been created with the specific mission of reaching that goal.