Themed "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life", Expo Milano 2015 focuses on food and agriculture, with exhibitors presenting their respective food cultures while exemplifying the crucial role of building a "community of common destiny" for food security. Peking duck, Argentinian wine, Japanese sushi, Spanish ham... All the characteristic specialties represent the culinary culture of different nations. Food differs, but cuisines have something in common.

Since its inception in London in 1851, the prestigious exposition has served as a platform for nations to showcase their innovations, fostering cultural exchange between countries. This year, nine internationally renowned photographers were asked to take visitors on a “journey around the world in pictures” to illustrate the Fair’s theme: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.

One more important task of the pavilion is to present Kazakhstan as the host of EXPO 2017. Considering the difficulties that Milan faced while preparing EXPO 2015, Kazakhstan will take this experience into account in arranging for its exhibit in Astana and hold it at the highest level, said First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the national EXPO commissioner Rapil Zhoshybayev.

The Expo 2015 world's fair showed potential as a backdrop for serious diplomacy as it opened Friday for a six-month run, even as it also served as a lightning rod for anti-globalization protests.(...) Not all of the diplomatic signals around Expo have been positive. India, in a drawn-out dispute with Italy over its determination to put two Italian sailors on trial for the shooting deaths at sea of two fishermen, skipped the global event due to the tensions, Expo organizers said.

North Korea stepped out of its isolation as a last-minute participant, and there are signs that Turkey may use the occasion to reach out to the Vatican weeks after it recalled its ambassador to the Holy See over the pope describing the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide.

The fellow appointed commissioner general, Jose Villareal, was a former fundraiser for Hillary Clinton. He helped raise the $61 million required for the creation of the American pavilion. We do not know what he did as commissioner general because the whole pavilion had been outsourced.

I have spent some time as of late picking through the now infamous train wreck that was the American pavilion at Shanghai. Cynthia Schneider offers her opinion on what went wrong here. Here’s my take: