Humor, humility, and, of course, honesty, all are qualities that work in public and cultural diplomacy. In attending and speaking at Our Class, Ambassador Schnepf understood that leading with humility can be more effective than the self-promotion that often accompanies public diplomacy. We can all learn from his example.

The last place that the Polish Ambassador to the United States Ryszard Schnepf might have been expected to appear in his first two weeks in Washington was the opening performance of Our Class, the searing play about a dark episode in Poland’s history: the 1941 massacre of Jewish citizens by their Catholic neighbors in Jedwabne.

In order to build greater understanding and cultural bonding among youghs of different backgrounds , the International Youth Fellowship, a worldwide youth organization, is holding the IYF World Camp at Thyagaraj Sports Complex from November 4 to 7.

It has taken well over sixty years, but after a traumatic divorce that unraveled an empire, India and Britain now seem to be having some kind of cultural honeymoon. The landmark exhibition “Mummy: The Inside Story,” which opens on Nov. 21 at the biggest museum in Mumbai, the CSMVS, is the result of a new collaboration between the British Museum, whose collection forms the display, and the CSMVS.

“Good use of soft power objectively helps us reach priorities in international activities,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told a meeting of the Public Chamber’s Council for International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy. Among Russian soft power tools, Gatilov listed the extension of cultural, informational and humanitarian presence abroad.

World leaders, ministers and high-level officials from 54 countries across the Asia-Pacific region will participate in the fifth Bali Democracy Forum (BDF). The Foreign Ministry’s director general for information and public diplomacy, Abdurrahman M. Fachir, said that the BDF would seek to discuss approaches to integrating democratic principles into global governance, especially in managing collective efforts to promote peace, security, economic development and the enjoyment of human rights.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Algeria this week seeking the country’s support for a West African force to help Mali’s military regain control of the north. And her talks with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika were dominated by the issue of how to deal with the terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists who took control of more than two-thirds of Mali after a coup toppled the government in Bamako last March.

Whenever DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University hosts a diversity workshop, seminar or speaking session, it draws a capacity crowd. “Usually attendance at our professional development sessions is hit and miss depending on how busy students are,” says Dr. Milena Head, acting director, MBA Programs at DeGroote. “But if diversity is the focus, we know there’s always going to be a full room.”