In an extraordinary act of culture and courage, a Russian orchestra performed in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra recently liberated from the Islamic State, but Western media mocked the event, notes Gilbert Doctorow.[...] The orchestrated performed a concert of Bach, Shchedrin and Prokofiev in the Roman Amphitheater to celebrate the return of culture to a UNESCO site desecrated by its Islamic State occupiers.

A Muslim charity will use advertisements on public buses across Britain to portray Islam in a positive light ahead of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the charity group announced Monday. London's iconic double-decker red buses will use banners with messages "Subhan Allah", an Arabic phrase meaning "Glory be to Allah", in Latin script.

The soft power roadmap for what is needed is relatively clear. Seizing the moment requires the United States and international partners to give much higher priority to activities such as public diplomacy, sustainable development assistance, and exchange programmes.

The success of Boise's refugee resettlement program has attracted international attention. German professionals, public officials and volunteers kicked off a two-day visit to Boise on Friday to learn about how the city welcomes and integrates refugees. 

Turkey's humanitarian aid organization, the Turkish Red Crescent, has entered a period of renewal with its newly elected president, Dr. Kerem Kınık. [...] the Turkish Red Crescent aims to turn into an order-setting humanitarian aid organization in international platforms in order to highlight humanitarian crises in areas such as Palestine, Somalia, Syria, Pakistan and the Horn of Africa.

In the modern era new tools have emerged that are used by superpowers. In Libya, Syria and Ukraine there is extensive use of hard power by non-state actors supported by these powers. In other countries intervention is made through soft power using social media and leaks. WikiLeaks and Panama Papers are part of this cyber war fare employed by non-state actors. In both these leaks there seems to be a particular pattern targeting select countries to put public pressure on governments.

"We are ready to expand and strengthen contacts with Muslim and non-governmental organizations in the region along the line of 'people's diplomacy', we are ready to help the peoples of the region to overcome armed conflicts by sharing the experience of Russian Muslims..."