As part of its cultural diplomacy program, the U.S. embassy brought the FEW Collective, a hip-hop troupe from Chicago, to Islamabad, where they danced, rapped and recited poetry to a Westernized, educated elite audience of young Pakistanis.

The progressive utilization of this kind of soft power...will be a fast track pass to engage with masses of young people all over the world based upon what they are truly interested in.Governmental cultural diplomacy can sometimes come off as forced or out-of-touch, but K-pop is an authentic reflection and spectacle of youth culture that is impressively close to the pulse of the "global cool."

Just when it seemed there was little hope for Twitter in Lebanon, the site finally got its "moment" earlier this week...when Mikati and British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher had a live 'Tweebate'...Following the event, Mikati tweeted that "social media is helping build digital diplomacy as a form of parallel public diplomacy".

Cultural exchanges take place periodically at the regional level...Sri Lanka has a rich heritage of cultural resources. We will increasingly focus on public diplomacy and cultural exchanges. It also relates to smart power and soft power.

Welcome to the opening entry of Culture Posts, an interactive blog for exploring the cultural underbelly of public diplomacy. Over the next two years, I hope that you will join me, collecting and discussing your insights on the hidden, and often times not so hidden, aspects of culture in public diplomacy.

A second batch of South Korean water engineers will leave for Libya later this month to help the war-torn nation restore its water supply services...."Rather than focusing on post-war reconstruction projects, it is time for us to do 'public diplomacy' to win the hearts of Libyan people."

The meeting resulted in the creation of the Wanning Declaration, a document viewed as a milestone in public diplomacy between China and Africa. The declaration underscored the agreement made between China and African nations to enhance Sino-African cooperation...

Almost four years have passed since I began cultural diplomacy through anime...I have given lectures at universities and appearing as a guest at Japanese pop events. I have noticed the government's policy toward such overseas events seems to have changed..