That Mr. Duterte’s contribution to international statecraft, the annals of which already include Ping-Pong diplomacy, would include karaoke might come as little surprise to those he leads. [...] Karaoke bars are an essential part of social life in the Philippines, and virtually every home in the country has a karaoke machine. A passion for public singing has led to competitive television shows, a multimillion-dollar business of migrant worker entertainers and several murders.

Back in 2012, the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak set up a department tasked with building the Malaysia nation brand. [...] We did offer up plenty of ideas, one of which was that the Malaysian singer-entertainer, Yuna, should be the face of any Malaysia nation branding initiative.