However, the United States is not currently in the best position to press these agendas due to Washington’s own flawed human rights record in Latin America and its age-old, persistent tendencies to try to dominate OAS machinery. Generating progress on issues ranging from corruption to drug-related violence at the OAS requires consistently investing political capital, which calls for vocalizing greater prioritization of the organization and demonstrating an eagerness to work in equal partnership with rising hemispheric powers.

As a current citizen of Berlin, I was aware of the large-scale relief effort the U.S. mounted after the Soviet Union had blocked all land supply routes into West Berlin in June 1948, in what became known to the world as the Berlin Airlift. In this context, I had also heard the story of American pilots dropping candy from their C-54s when flying into Tempelhof Airport in West Berlin. I could not, however, have spoken with certainty about the origin or the scope of the candy dropping operation, even though by now whole books have been written on the subject.

Some will say that after a considerable amount of time, expansion is the first piece of good news coming from Old Lady Europe. However, not everyone is enthusiastic about it, especially in Croatia – the 28th member as of July 1st. To put it more clearly, the very first toast could leave some with a bad taste in their mouth should they make it with prosek – the indigenous Dalmatian dessert wine variety. Accession to the EU could mean – hello EU, goodbye prosek!

Jordan and Armenia signed on Monday an educational and scientific cooperation agreement, under which both sides will provide the other with scholarships to attend higher education and scientific institutions in either country.

‘Cultural diplomat’ awarded writing residency in Hawai‘i Former diplomat, magazine columnist, Pacific historian and poet Leilani Tamu from Auckland will spend three months in Hawai‘i writing about "Cultural Diplomacy" for a book of the same name, as recipient of the 2013 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency.

The Padma Shri awardee was invited by Monika Mohta, India's ambassador in Warsaw, as part of her efforts to showcase India's soft power there. Rajiv Chandran of the UN, Geeta's husband, recounts how surprised they were by the popularity of Indian arts and culture there. During her visit, Geeta inaugurated the India Day at the University of Poznan and the Asia Week at the Gdansk University.

A group of Romanian high school students is set to arrive in Israel on Monday as part of broader exchange programs that have helped crystallize strong relations between the two countries in the fields of education and Holocaust remembrance.

A recent visit from Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Guo Jinlong to Cuba included a presentation of acrobatics from China and The Chinese Dragon performed by the women’s percussion orchestra Red Poppy of Beijing along with young Cubans including the University of Havana Confucius Choir and the Habana Comás dance troupe. - See more at: http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=95164#sthash.qZvxSCKZ.dpuf