First of all, after the end of the Cold war, public opinion research demonstrates that in both countries the perception of the other side as an enemy decreased; in the United States it remains pretty stable, and the majority of Americans do not perceive Russia as a Cold-war-style adversary.

The Friendship Communication Organization has organized activities for foreign diplomats in more than 100 cities and regions, most recently in Hetian,a town located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It works closely together with local governments in order to design programs conducive to cultural and commercial exchanges.

The "2012 Confucius Institutes Joint Conference In Parts of Europe" was held on September 7 in the University of Vienna...132 Confucius Institutes and over 500 Confucius Classrooms have been built in 33 European countries, with a 970,000 total enrollment, said Xu Lin, director of the Office of Chinese Language Council International and the Confucius Institutes Headquarters.

Hoping her celebrity will bring attention to the widening Syrian refugee crisis, actress and U.N. envoy Angelina Jolie spoke of the horrors that children, many of them orphans, have witnessed in Syria..."The priority needs relate to health care, food aid, shelter, water and sanitation, and education..."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, “Showcasing favorite cuisines, ceremonies and values is an often overlooked and powerful tool of diplomacy. The meals that I share with my counterparts at home and abroad cultivate a stronger cultural understanding between countries and offer a unique setting to enhance the formal diplomacy we conduct every day.”

The one-day conference, organized by the Israeli Finance Ministry, together with The Wall Street Journal, Barrons and the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry, hosted dozens of business leaders and economists from across the U.S. and Israel.

Citing “strong resentment from the local Chinese community,” the Chinese government has asked the city of Corvallis to force a Taiwanese-American businessman to remove a mural advocating independence for Taiwan and Tibet from his downtown building.

When it comes to "hard power," the West is in steep decline..."Europe has become so enamored with soft power that it has stopped investing in hard power. In terms of hard security, it makes Europe a free rider." Strong words from someone who has been deeply committed to keeping transatlantic ties strong.