It is nobody's case that India must mimic the West's position. Even so, as a society with much goodwill in the Middle East, where it is respected for its democracy and soft power and seen as an exemplar of a non-western modernity, India needs to be a presence in the region's new discourse.

America still has much soft power from the sales of weapons to Iraq, the need of Iraqi counterterrorism forces to work with U.S. Special Forces. Then there's the issue of America helping Iraq with investment, getting foreign companies in, and the issue of ending Iraq's Chapter Seven status at the UN...

APDS Blogger: Hend Alhinnawi

China is emerging as the key deal-maker or deal-breaker as the UN climate talks head into ministerial discussions. If the EU and China can find a way forward, some observers here believe a package can be constructed that will satisfy the majority of participants.

For too long, Israel’s public diplomacy has pussy-footed around the question of Jewish refugees. Ron Prosor’s explicit mention of Jewish refugees from Arab countries represents a more pro-active approach by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Mexican mariachi music, Chinese shadow puppetry and poetic duelling from Cyprus were among the cultural traditions which have been identified by the United Nations as in need of protection. Such "living" practices, which bind communities together and provide them with a sense of continuity, are in danger of being lost, some more than others

Abbas, perhaps remembering these history lessons, apparently came to the conclusion that the status quo needed to be shaken up. To his credit he did not chose a violent option for this action. Abbas’s goal of going to the UN was to peacefully shake things up.

Click here to watch Ban Ki-moon’s talk, “Using New Data to Understand Emerging Vulnerability in Real Time” scheduled at 2:45pm (EST).