Indiana University has received a grant totaling $1.5 million from the Korea Foundation and three Korean IU alumni to establish the university's first endowed chair in Korean studies.The chair will be based in the new School of Global and International Studies on IU's Bloomington campus and will be the first endowed chair to be established in the school since its recent approval.

The public aspects, trade, culture, science, are all strong and Britain was one of Israel’s main supporters during last month’s Operation Pillar of Defense against Gaza. Last year, Britain changed its universal jurisdiction law, greatly limiting (though not totally ending) the possibility of senior Israeli officials being prosecuted in London.

Abe advocates stronger diplomacy that includes significant revisions in Japan’s security policies. Not only does he want to allow the exercise of collective self-defense by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF), he wants to rename the SDF the National Defense Force (with the Japanese character for ‘Force’ changed to ‘Military’)

On a recent Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton walked with her husband onto a stage at the New York Sher aton to a standing ovation that only got louder as she tried to quiet things down.

The year 2012 has seen leadership change in several nations--including the United States, China, Russia and France, with Japan set to hold a general election on Dec. 16--and these transitions could have a major bearing on international relations and the global economy in 2013 and beyond.

A new Heritage Foundation research paper by Chinese expert Dean Cheng lays out the principles and theory behind China’s public diplomacy advances—or, as the Chinese call it, “public opinion warfare.” “Winning Without Fighting: Chinese Public Opinion Warfare and the Need for a Robust American Response” is highly recommended reading for lawmakers, Pentagon planners, State Department personnel, and anyone who sees China as a global competitor of the U.S.

China, home to the world's second-biggest economy, is experiencing a period of prosperity. However, when it comes to "soft power", the country remains a work in progress. In trying to meet this challenge, particularly in the performing arts, China has turned to Broadway impresario Robert Nederlander Jr.

Culture is helping to bolster the country's "soft power" and build its influence. It's a success story that may offer important clues for China as it seeks to use culture to bolster its own soft power and a reminder of the halcyon days when Hong Kong's Canto-pop stars seemed destined for global fame.