Mattis is one of the "outliers" -- one of the few top commanders who understand that America's enemies will not be defeated in a pitched battle on a field, but rather through the slow change of hearts and minds around dinner tables and tribal councils in countries in conflict.

Higher Education Minister Khaled Al-Anqari has reiterated Saudi Arabia’s commitment to become a knowledge-based economy. The minister said Saudi universities have established partnerships with leading institutions of higher learning in the world, including those in Japan, to develop a knowledge-based society. “We want greater cooperation with Japan in this respect,” he added.

It has been a superbly marshalled exercise in spin: as the Financial Times said on Tuesday, the World Cup, "it is generally agreed, has been a triumph". This is the first measure of its success: as an act of rebranding or public diplomacy -- to use the new posh term of national marketing.

Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer is threatening to sabotage the bill banning fur imports, following pressure from foreign ambassadors. Ben-Eliezer said the bill would damage Israel's trade ties with many countries and could cause a diplomatic crisis: Some states fear that Israel's far-reaching legislation would make other countries follow its lead.

It’s not that often that Bollywood films – better known for formulaic plots and cheesy musical numbers – stir up much international attention for their politics. But the recent announcement here of a film about Adolf Hitler’s last days, his love life, and his supposed connection to India, has raised eyebrows around the world – not to mention the ire of India’s tiny Jewish community.

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs recently surveyed respondents in the United States, China, Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Japan and India in terms of its influence in the world now and in the next 10 years. Not surprisingly, India was ranked last, says John Lee, a research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies.

China's hydropower plans are a test of its avowed good neighbourliness...

When I entered the US Pavilion at the 2010 World’s Exposition in Shanghai, I anticipated the presentation of the nation’s character to its predominately Chinese audience and hoped to deconstruct its message. I wondered what virtues, ideas, personas, landmarks and struggles would, in the brief experience of Expo, encapsulate the entity I have dedicated my career to studying.