With Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Iran, there's been lots of talk in Delhi about the relationship between our two countries. But for me, a holiday I had in Iran last year told me more about our middle eastern neighbour than any political pundit could.

A revolution in consumer sentiment has spread across China. “Made in China” no longer inherently means cheap, inferior, and unfashionable. The respectable Chinese brand has emerged, and some have not only caught up with their more established foreign rivals but have actually started to surpass them in China and beyond.

Jamala’s win and her powerful song about persecution and the abuse of Crimean Tatars has filled our hearts with pride and solidarity. It also reminds us that culture is a powerful instrument for building trust, understanding and peace.

The NGO campaigns, led by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, are vital in this process.  The problem is that journalists, academics, diplomats, political leaders, and Western officials frequently quote these usually uncorroborated accusations in condemning Israeli policies, “reflecting the ‘soft power’ of these NGOs acting to reinforce the Palestinian narrative and the objectives of the OIC.”

A security strategy consistent with this circumstance would be one that is more multi-faceted, that deals with long-standing issues that affect relations with its neighbours in the region. [...] its diplomacy and foreign policy in years to come has to be welded into Asian coalitions. 

China is digging deep into its cultural roots to anchor a seamless revival of the ancient Silk Road, in tune with a growing domestic focus on tapping the achievements of its past.

China understands Indian sensitivity in Nepal and counsels Kathmandu "to be friendly with India without being hostile to China". As a country that has enduring strategic importance to its neighbors, the real test of Nepal's foreign policy is to maintain balanced diplomacy with full recognition of ground realities...

Engaging in cultural exchange and trade with North Korea would be more productive than the US's existing failed policy. [...] A good, very small start toward for the long-term goal of undermining the regime rather than pursuing a short-term goal of trying to talk them off nuclear weapons would be to make cultural exchanges between the two countries.