As long as the U.S. military is the point-man for American involvement in Afghanistan, however, it is the use of hard power — force — that will capture public attention. The predominant effort, if we are to be at all present in that foreign country, should consist even more of soft power missions than it already does.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) SportsUnited division announced a basketball exchange program that will send four Zimbabweans -- three teenage girls and a coach -- to the United States for twelve-days of dynamic activities as part of the new Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative.

India is taking steps to expand links with Russian universities in an effort to reach out to this country’s younger generation... last week India’s Ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra signed an agreement on establishing a Centre of Indian Studies at the Kazan Federal University that will be headed by an Indian professor.

LONDON --- “Cultural diplomacy” has a nice ring to it; it brings to mind folk singing, dances around the Maypole, children’s finger-painting exhibitions, and other such feel-good exports that can make even global adversaries think kindly of each other, at least momentarily.

Mr Gianfranco Fattorini, a representative of PEC quoted the Chief of the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet who affirmed that "Mobile phones, Internet and other measures for the management of new media need to be fully implemented to maintain the public's interests and national security."

There are more than 17 million Facebook users in Iran, but the site is banned throughout the country. Iran also bans its citizens from accessing Twitter and YouTube. Even so, people are finding a way around the censorship with the help of Virtual Private Networks...