Wednesday, Edita Vokral, Ambassador of Switzerland in Haiti, accompanied by Hans Reiser, Deputy Coordinator of the Swiss Cooperation, paid a visit to Jean Mario Dupuy, the Haitian Minister of Culture. During this meeting, the Minister of Culture stressed the importance of culture for the development of Haiti, while touting the depth of the creative imagination of the Haitian people. "Culture is one factor that can contribute effectively to the development of the national economy."

In 1991, the North Korean table tennis star paired with her archrival, South Korea's Hyun Jung-hwa, as part of the first "unified Korea" team to march into international competition wearing the blue flag of the Korean Peninsula. With relations between the foes at a low point, the episode is not about to be repeated at the London Olympics.

The Obama Administration's State Department hasn't been an especially strong advocate for human rights, as the recent mishandling of Chinese dissident's Chen Guangcheng's case made painfully clear. Now there's news of more fumbles—this time, in Vietnam.

Demand for visas to visit the United States is growing, but getting one, for many foreigners, has sometimes meant frustratingly long waits for interviews and processing. The State Department struggled to keep up, but this year it took steps to improve. Now, the department says, it has chalked up some victories.

To be a very powerful state in world politics does not make for an easy life. China increasingly realizes the predicaments it faces while its power has been growing rapidly. Indeed, the disturbance of China’s regional diplomacy in recent years suggests that it is encountering daunting challenges on exercising and securing power.

Nearly two dozen ambassadors representing countries on five continents will spend three days learning about Wyoming’s remarkable history, exploring its environmental wonders, engaging with experts about conservation efforts, and interacting with the state’s public and private sector leaders.

The resolution on Sri Lanka at the recently held UNHRC secessions in Geneva has caused Sri Lanka to reassess the effectiveness of its investment in the deployment of diplomatic capital - its soft power. A direct consequence of this assessment has been to summon Heads of Sri Lankan Mission for a briefing by the President who emphasized the need to focus on Public Diplomacy and to realign its missions abroad.

In all these, where do we locate quiet, likeable people whose contributions may not have had immediate dramatic impact on the trajectory of history but who possess intangible assets that make us feel that they must be playing important roles in the way the wheels of history rotate?