If the U.S. and its allies are to address national security challenges successfully, then there is no choice but to engage in nation-building. The problem isn't that we are engaged in nation-building. The problem is that we do it so poorly. The U.S military hasn't fully embraced it as a part of its mission, and neither has the State Department.

Judging from voting trends during the past three decades, Democratic President Barack Obama can rest assured that he will receive a majority of Jewish votes in the 2012 presidential election. Obama will undoubtedly continue to enjoy wide support among American Jewry. But it is a sobering thought, as the US celebrates July 4, that this does not mean his Mideast policies will be good for Israel.

Recently the International Monetary Fund confirmed what the average Chinese has long anticipated: China will soon have the world's largest economy, surpassing the United States. Some Chinese believe that passing this milestone will have automatic consequences for international politics, giving China more international influence. But as history shows, the path may not have a single destination.

The world's second-largest restaurant chain announced a venture with a local company in the United Arab Emirates that will lower McDonald's carbon footprint by converting its frying oil into biodiesel. It is the first time that a company in the oil-rich Middle East has used biodiesel to power vehicles on this scale

In a stance that roughly paralleled that of President Theodore Roosevelt, who famously advised, “Speak softly, but carry a big stick,” General Powell said the U.S. should work through “soft power”—diplomacy, humanitarian aid and the like—to achieve its goals, using military action only as a last resort.

Chinese Internet company Baidu says it has reached an agreement with Microsoft to provide English-language results generated by the U.S. software company's Bing search engine. The agreement, announced Monday, will automatically direct English search requests to Bing and its results will be displayed in pages in Baidu's search engine.

The U.S. and China have much to gain from collaborating on transnational issues. If power is the ability to obtain the outcomes one wants, it is important to remember that sometimes our power is greater when we act with others rather than merely over others. This important dimension of a “smart power” strategy for the twenty-first century is not captured by the concept of containment.

The explosion of museum exhibitions is only a mirror image of what has happened to fashion itself this millennium. With the force of technology, instant images and global participation, fashion has developed from being a passion for a few to a fascination — and an entertainment — for everybody.