Less talk about "Islamic radicalism" and a lot more about doing business. In the year since President Barack Obama pledged a new beginning in the relationship with the Muslim world, the White House has begun to change the U.S. focus.

Recent public diplomacy reports and testimonies released by both congress and government policy makers in Washington indicate concerns over Iran's growing cultural influence. It was a year ago when Senate Foreign Relations Committee's report warned about the growing number of Islamic Republic's Cultural Centers.

Amid problems with fragile economies across the globe and regional strife from Africa to central Asia it might escape notice that NATO, a cornerstone of United States strategic power for six decades, has begun to crumble.

The presidents of the United States and Russia will sign a new arms reduction agreement in Prague on Thursday signalling a willingness to rid the world of nuclear weapons. But experts on the whole are disappointed.

Galbraith, the US diplomat who worked for the UN in Kabul until last year, made his remarks live on US television. His comments come as the White House considers withdrawing an invitation for Karzai to meet Barack Obama in Washington next month.

Any move by China to allow some yuan appreciation would be more a vindication of the Treasury's softly-softly approach than the gun-barrel diplomacy coming from elsewhere in Washington.

OU students left the Taste of Islam culture and food Tuesday night at the Henderson-Tolson Cultural Center with a full stomach and a broader understanding of diversity in Islam. Approximately 150 students attended the annual Taste of Islam, which is hosted by the Muslim Student Association, as part of Islam Awareness Month.

The United States and Nigeria on Tuesday signed an agreement, setting up a bi-national commission aimed at helping the west African state promote good governance and fight corruption. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the U.S.-Nigeria relationship "absolutely critical."