Somewhere etched in memories and images of Louis Armstrong being royally greeted by throngs in Cairo and blowing his trumpet to the ear of the sandy sphinx, or of Duke Ellington's regal jazz ambassadorship as he stared down at sitars, American cultural diplomacy found its groove.

China's official news service plans an initial public offering for its digital arm, potentially giving it needed heft in a market where staid state-run media compete for an audience with attention-grabbing headlines and slide shows of attractive women.

US is not able to restrict Iran's soft power by spreading Iranophobia, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Basij and Defense Culture Brigadier General Massoud Jazzayeri said, IRNA reported.

Whether you refer to it as a “pivot” or a “rebalance,” strengthened United States engagement in Asia is good news for the Philippines. That was clearly evident in the meeting last June in Washington...But lost in the talk of ongoing diplomatic and defense cooperation between the US and the Philippines is the need for further discussion of how to increase critical business-to-business and people-to-people contacts between the two nations.

The law was the White House’s most public strategy to date to counter Iran’s influence in the Americas, and gives the State Department 180 days to draw up a plan to “address Iran’s growing hostile presence and activity.” The US received prompt criticism from Iran who said the US “still lives in the cold war era and considers Latin America as its back yard.”

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will leave office later this month, with Senator John Kerry expected to succeed her. Some Chinese view Clinton as an outstanding political figure. However, public aversion to her in China in recent years has been rising.

With rumors that John Kerry may be tapped to take Clinton's place when she departs the agency this month comes rising speculation over how the current chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee might handle State's technological mandate.

When US and Israeli officials look glumly at international polls showing their declining popularity, they often think that just some better salesmanship will do the trick. But the real problem isn’t the pitch; it’s the product, in this case policies that offend much of the world, says ex-CIA analys