For all the talk about America's declining global influence, it's worth mentioning that the Oscar awards were front-page news in just about every English-language foreign daily that I scan each morning, as well as in both French-language dailies I read.

On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps to fulfill its promise. He set forth the radical notion that a nation should have as its primary foreign policy objective, not to conquer, not to colonize, but to serve. Peace through service.

U.S. military psychological operations (PSYOP or psy-ops) and information operations (IO) are supposed to be directed to local and enemy populations in overseas "theaters," specific geographical areas of armed conflict, not where you watch Auntie Mame perform.

Maximum India, a 20-day cultural extravaganza of Indian soft power, kicks off here on March 1 with scores of artistes set to enthrall a capital where India is now looked on more favourably than ever before.

A high power United States Trade Delegation, headed by Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, arrived in Liberia on yesterday on a four-day visit. The American Trade Delegation is in the country to acquaint itself with trade relations between Liberia and the United States.

A broad coalition of interests from oil companies, defense manufacturers and well-connected lobbying firms to neoconservative scholars and Harvard Business School professors has worked in recent years to advance a rapprochement with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and take advantage of business opportunities in the country.

The United States Thursday called on the UN Human Rights Council to dump Libya and consulted key allies on imposing sanctions, accelerating the international drive to halt Moamer Kadhafi's brutal protest crackdown.

Anyone interested in the televised appearances of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi would certainly remember his distinguished interview on Al Jazeera, which was reported in the international press.