Earth's least likely space-going nation reached further into the stars last week, when Nigeria shot its third and fourth satellites into orbit, including the first satellite built by Africans. From their exospheric perch, the two will map one of humanity's final frontiers: Lagos. The vast megalopolis, home to between nine and 17 million people, is a constantly-shifting phenomenon in urban non-planning.

One of China’s leading papers, the Global Times, conducted an online survey that asked people if they are optimistic about U.S.-China relations after Vice President Joe Biden’s visit. Of the 13,000 responses recorded by Monday, some 93-percent said Biden’s visit did not make them optimistic.

The best way to diffuse a sense of injustice for those people involved in the Arab Spring is through improving material circumstances, London said. British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in a speech before delegates at the British Council in London said the British government has committed more than $180 million during the next four years to development in the Arab world.

While government officials have been rushing to relate achievements of various sectors with “improving Korea’s image globally,” many citizens still remain unsure of just where the sources of nation branding come from or what the term even means. The Presidential Council on Nation Branding (PCNB) is hoping to enlighten citizens on this issue through the “Korea Nation Branding Convention 2011”.

U.S. officials shift gears to a digital-first diplomatic strategy in the face of rising anti-Americanism worldwide...Posting content that influencers will spread themselves can maximize the State Department’s impact via network effects while economizing effort. And by learning about their audience, diplomats will be able to tailor their engagement strategy and make course corrections.

Although the North Korean media shield most of the country’s 24 milliion people from news about the Middle East, word of rebellion seeps through via clandestine radios and word of mouth from people on illicit trading expeditions. It’s because of the fear of revolutionary fervor spreading tthat Kim is anxious to convince Russian leaders that his third son, Kim Jong-eun, is strong enough to be able to rule.

In the wake of any terrorist attack, Israeli governments struggle to maintain their footing, but after the Arab Spring, everything got more dramatic. The crisis began Aug. 18, with a multilayered, sustained terrorist attack along Israel's border with Egypt. Alarmed, the Israeli Defense Ministry took the unusual step of breaking the Jewish Sabbath to issue a statement of regret for the Egyptian deaths.

What was the point of Vice-President Joseph Biden’s just ended visit to China? It is surely not enough to point vaguely to the supposed goodwill generated by formulaic visits between leaders. But the Biden visit appears to have had only the vaguest of agendas and if anything put US weakness on display at a time when China is boasting its global importance.