China is expanding its military reach by sending, for the first time, a marine unit of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to train with another country in an upcoming exercise with Thailand's armed forces.

Philip Seib was quoted in a piece about how Central Command uses social media to respond to "enemy" propaganda, "you get a lot of wrong information, purposely or accidently, on the web, that can take on a life of its own and by engaging people about that expands the debate."

When the Nobel committee selected Liu Xiaobo as the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, the distinction brought unwanted attention to China. For obvious reasons, Beijing did not want the world honoring a man who has dedicated decades to challenging the country's political system. But Beijing, in fact, seems uncomfortable with any kind of attention.

Berlin DJs Daniel Best and Kalle Kuts are reviving the spirit of 1980s West Germany with their compilation of "the Cold War's hottest music."The project hopes to shed light on the almost forgotten but massively influential GI clubs where US soldiers went to get a taste of life back home.

Female students from a local Jalalabad high school recently spent a morning chatting online with three female Soldiers from Forward Operating Base Fenty September 21st. The students were participating in a State Department sponsored program called the Global Connections and Exchange program.

US troops rely on local Afghan interpreters in the mission to win hearts and minds in the Afghanistan war. But many learn crucial languages on the job, resulting in deadly mishaps.

In the battle over winning the hearts of the Afghan people, one must get the support of village elders. A meeting with one is an important step. A meeting with a room filled with village elders from across Paktika Province is a giant leap toward diplomacy.