2015 has been a productive year not only for China, but for its partners all over the world. The world's second largest economy reached out farther and wider, through initiatives such as the "Belt and Road" and the "AIIB". And President Xi Jinping led the way.

The New York Times recently reported on a similar trend in Nigeria, where the West’s push against anti-gay laws has actually contributed to a significant increase in violence against gay people. America’s money and public diplomacy have opened conversations and opportunities in societies where the subject was taboo just a few years ago. But they have also made gay men and lesbians more visible — and more vulnerable to harassment and violence …  by groups of men, some of whom call themselves “cleansers.” 

Japan and South Korea have very close alliances with the United States. They also have had diplomatic relations with each other for 50 years, not to mention considerable trade back and forth during that time. At a popular level, many Japanese are wild about Korean bulgogi and soap operas while many Koreans love Japanese sushi and anime. That doesn’t mean, however, that the two countries are particularly close. 

President Barack Obama will host a summit with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in California on Feb. 15 and 16, the White House said on Wednesday. [...] “This unprecedented gathering – the first hosted by the United States with the ASEAN leaders – builds on the deeper partnership that the United States has forged with ASEAN since 2009 and will further advance the Administration’s rebalance to Asia and the Pacific,” 

As the last year has demonstrated, America’s struggle to defend its national interests cannot be won by military force alone. Even as the campaigns against the Islamic State group and the Taliban have faltered, American diplomats have made remarkable progress across a number of fronts, from climate change to checking Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
 

A family of Syrian refugees had been invited to dinner in a penthouse atop the Waldorf Towers, the official residence of the United States ambassador to the United Nations. [...] Morad and Ola Al Teibawi, and their five children — ages 3 to 17 — came to the Waldorf from their tiny apartment in Paterson, N.J., on Monday evening, guests of Samantha Power, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, and her husband, the writer and law professor Cass Sunstein.

December 17 marked one year since President Obama announced historic steps to begin the process of normalizing relations with Cuba. One of the most exciting opportunities opened by the Administration’s policy is strengthening our ties with the Cuban people, including through educational exchanges.

Nigeria is falling in love with Star Wars. There are two reasons. There's a growing nerd culture in the country — young people who love science fiction and see it as a way to imagine our own futures as something better than our present […] The other reason: John Boyega, […] son of Nigerians who settled in Britain.