Nowadays, one of the most historically charged rivalries on the international stage is that between Pakistan and India, and nowhere is it bigger than in the sport the countries are best at: cricket. India and Pakistan have been playing cricket against each other since 1952, and the game has become a metaphor of sorts for the countries’ relationship. In fact, the politics between the two nations and the games on the field are so intertwined that a phrase was coined: Cricket Diplomacy. 

Sports has the power to unite the world like little else or so proves a documentary on the UAE fotoball team. The Emirates Diplomatic Academy, as part of its Culture Week, screened Lights of Rome - a documentary on the incredible journey of the UAE's national football team to 1990 Fifa World Cup Italy. The heroics of the Golden Generation of footballers in 1990 placed the UAE on the world map and also provided a glimpse of the progress the country was set to make in future. More importantly, the world stage provided an opportunity to showcase the Emirati culture and promote the country.

Recent news from North Korea has focused on missile launches and nuclear tests. But when it comes to diplomacy, there may be a lesson from history – and sports. Asia Pacific Management consultant Ray Tsuchiyama shares some thoughts in this commentary. [...] Sports makes friends.  Like 1971’s Ping-Pong diplomacy, let’s give soccer a chance to create a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.

American and Cameroonian soldiers come from entirely separate parts of the world with distinct cultural differences. [...] a 101st Airborne Division-led unit based in northern Cameroon, built a basketball court with freshly painted lines and hoops weighed down by concrete blocks next to an active runway. They then invited Cameroon service members from the local area for a basketball game to help foster better cohesion.

Mexico and the United States enjoy one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world today, with profound implications for the prosperity, well-being and security of both nations. No country touches the daily lives of more Americans than Mexico, and no country touches the daily lives of more Mexicans than the United States. In the more than two decades since NAFTA’s approval, our two countries have been converging as societies and as economies.