Polling giant Gallup has opened a new social research center in Abu Dhabi headed by a U.S. government appointee. But the center's affiliation with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Court has ramifications for public diplomacy.

Taiwan is the latest in a series of countries to launch a ‘gastro-diplomacy’ campaign, which means using food to spread awareness of culture. The drive seeks to promote understanding of Taiwanese culture via such local cuisine as stinky tofu and sea-salt lattes. To learn more about gastro-diplomacy, I spoke to Mr. Paul Rockower, a research fellow at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy...