The US government strategy for improving its struggling reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan relies heavily on spending more money. More on bigger and quicker projects, more on aid workers, and more on monitors – a "civilian surge" to win hearts and minds.

One legacy of the 9/11 attacks was a distortion of American policy: By the standards of history and cost-effectiveness, we are hugely overinvested in military tools and underinvested in education and diplomacy.

It is vital to rekindle the new spirit that accompanied Obama's speech and to discuss together how we can transform it into practical programmes that bridge the concept of dialogue with real and effective partnership between East and West.

This year, team USA's strong performance in the World Cup inspired Americans to follow the sport in record numbers. Now that the sport has our notice, there is a good reason for us to keep paying attention. Believe it or not, that little black and white ball might just be the key to winning the peace in Iraq.

No fewer than 120 selected African youths, including three Nigerians, will participate in the United States President Barrack Obama’s 2010 Forum with Young African Leaders in Washington DC, in August, APA learns here.

There is a lot of talk on Capitol Hill about "smart power" and "soft power" but when it comes to funding programs like the Peace Corps, lawmakers hesitate, or they do not understand how an extra $10 or $20 million dollars is transformative...

We arrived yesterday, and the city seems very, very peaceful," said Japanese delegate Yoshiki Oi, who attends the University of Tokyo. "We are going to big cities, but this allows us to have a good perspective of America. If all we saw were the big cities, we would not learn about all of America.

The Vermont Institute on the Caribbean, better known as VIC, organized a cultural baseball exchange in 2007. Sending kids and parents to the Dominican Republic, they are housed with local families, learning about their way of life and of course, baseball.