The lopsided reality of Britain’s relationship with the United States was underlined at the White House this week when it was asked to react to findings from the official UK report into the Iraq war. [...] “The United States and the United Kingdom have a special relationship,” he said. “I would expect that that relationship will remain special and strong.” For British diplomats – worried more than ever about their access to power after Barack Obama’s dire warnings over Brexit – such platitudes might sound reassuring.

The U.S.-Polish relationship is buttressed by our peoples’ centuries-long pursuit of liberty and freedom--values that unite us as we strive together to create a Europe whole, free, and at peace. [...] Almost 10 million Americans today claim Polish ancestry, providing unwavering support for close U.S.-Poland relations.  The Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission has funded more than 1,900 Poles and 1,000 American exchanges over its 60-year history. 

For the past 15 years the U.S. has been recruiting pro baseball and basketball players to serve as diplomatic envoys to Muslim nations. Now with Dean Karnazes, we’ve begun sending adventure athletes abroad to build good will. [...]  The State Department launched its current sports diplomacy program after the September 11 terrorist attacks, largely to connect with and provide alternative activities to young Muslim youth who might be at risk of joining extremist groups. 

The Mosaic Taiwan 2016 program ended successfully recently with remarkable singing, dancing and instrument performances by program fellows, new diplomats and youth ambassadors, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). MOFA Secretary General Wen-liang Chang awarded completion certificates and five recognition awards. The friendly interaction between young leaders from Taiwan, the U.S. and Canada was a perfect ending to the event, said MOFA.

Despite its advocacy for Beijing's controversial and important position in the disputed South China Sea, the Institute for China-American Studies (ICAS) -- the only Chinese think tank based in Washington DC -- has been unable to rise from obscurity. Google their initials and they come up on the third page, behind the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, the International Council of Air Shows, and the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, a tribe in Alaska. It has all of 43 Twitter followers.