[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.

Other than at the 38th parallel on the Korean peninsula, the closest proximity that Americans and North Koreans have recently found themselves is in South Africa at the World Cup...In South Africa, though, it has been civilian athletes from the two countries rotating through the same stadiums in what is an admirable expression of human rivalry: competitive sports.

The United Nations launched today a video contest inviting people from around the world, particularly youth, to tell leaders what the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) mean to them by uploading short films on the UN YouTube channel.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is seeking to entice investment from American businesses during his visit to the United States. But analysts in Moscow say while Russia wants American capital, it does not want the United States meddling in Russian domestic affairs.

William Burns, US Undersecretary of State for political affairs, Tuesday told a panel hearing of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee that pursuing possible alternative approaches such as a fuel swap deal that was offered by Brazil and Turkey "was not off the table."

Yes, I’ve read the mixed reviews about the USA Pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 Expo. The major complaint as I understand it is that the pavilion is too commercial – that it does not promote US values and society to the degree it should.

Since international influence played a vital role in bringing about democracy in Thailand in 1992, inevitably it is interesting to know, what exactly are the ASEAN, US, UN and EU responses to the recent Thai crisis?