The DARPA Robotics Challenge was one creative initiative that sparked new relationships and pushed the state of the art forward, but other efforts can be made. There is room for new and broader concepts of bilateral robotics and autonomous systems collaboration in a dual-use context, and the United States and Japan can be leaders in this field. The digital revolution is still in its early stages, and its future will be brighter with a long-term U.S.-Japan partnership.

While American forces in Somalia are fighting the militant group al-Shabab with air attacks, security experts think a political solution should be the way forward. That includes the upcoming presidential election.

So, our panda-hugging, Vogue-mugging, 60 Minutes-loving Prime Minister is heading to the White House State dinner, riding on polls so high he can see over top of Donald Trump’s ego. But the opposition keep asking, how much substance will come from all the style?

In 2009, the author and food historian Andrew Coe published the book Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States. From the first Americans to travel to China in 1784 through widespread anti-Chinese sentiment in the 19th century, Coe traced how it took the United States quite some time to develop a taste for Chinese cuisine.

Finally, the United States is coming to terms with a central reality about terrorism: much of it happens on smart phones, laptops and other screens around the world where those who seek to perpetuate violence prey on would-be terrorists.

China has a new ally in its campaign to turn itself into a global cultural superpower: Matt Damon. And, behind him, a good chunk of Hollywood as well. Chinese leaders have long sought international cultural influence, aka "soft power," commensurate with the nation's economic might. 

The United States government has been paying to feed and shelter thousands of Cubans trying to migrate to the United States, in what critics consider another sign of the lopsided treatment provided to Cubans under American law.