No matter what you think of Gen. McChrystal after the Rolling Stone article and the fiasco that ensued, he knew how to work in Afghanistan. Here are a few things he got right.

Barack Obama went traditional. Decked out in a light blue shirt and burgundy tie, the U.S. president ordered a cheddar-cheeseburger with onions, lettuce, tomato, and bread-and-butter pickles. He drank iced tea. Dmitry Medvedev added a little spice. The Russian leader, sporting a white shirt and dark tie, went for a cheddar-cheeseburger with onions, jalapenos, and mushrooms. He drank a Coke.

The US needs to tread carefully and to give some thought to how a united Taiwan and China would impact US interests. If we do, indeed, move in this direction, we can expect a renewed confidence in the Chinese military, no longer constrained by concerns of having to face US forces in the Taiwan Strait. In other words, we can expect structural changes in US military strategy in the Taiwan Strait area and in its relations with both China and Japan.

After the collapse of Soviet Union, the US took the global leadership as the lone super power and bestowed itself with the responsibility to look after the world affair with commanding posture. For the last couple of years perception of developing countries vis-à-vis America has been changing

On Wednesday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev toured the headquarters of Twitter. Besides having a fruitful cultural exchange with Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, he also fired off his first tweet

Any performance, but particularly if it’s an impromptu jazz performance or jam session, is a matter of communication -- one may even say, diplomacy...Such was the case during the special performance of the New York City-based Mark Sherman-Tim Horner Jazz Quartet on June 17 at the official residence of US Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr. in North Forbes, Makati [Philippines].

A June 28–29 symposium in Uganda organized by the U.S. telecom firm Verizon Communications and other planning partners is an effort to help improve East Africa’s Internet links with the rest of the world...Overall, the conference hopes to connect education, communication and government and spur a dialogue to move forward and use the Internet to promote greater economic growth and development across East Africa, she said.

[Former President Bill] Clinton characterized soccer as a potential tool of diplomacy and understanding--a constructive, entertaining and "safe" means of working out some of the conflicts that invariably arise among nations and disparate cultures.