In addition to the aesthetic and educational value of international cultural exchange and collaboration, Asia TOPA provided an excellent platform for developing critical economic, political, and security relationships between Australia and its Asian neighbors.

The announcement of a Turkish military base in Qatar was accompanied by the powerful symbolism of a  friendly match played by the national soccer teams of  Turkey and Qatar in Doha. The match, which the Turks won 2-1, provided a sports diplomacy momentum to the ongoing political and security rapprochement between the two countries, while at the same time confirming Turkey’s support for Qatar[.] 

Since 2012, the US government has put more than $US700 million...into supporting gay rights groups and causes globally. America's money and public diplomacy have opened conversations and opportunities in societies where the subject was taboo just a few years ago. But they have also made gay men and lesbians more visible - and more vulnerable to harassment and violence....

In India, Japan may have found an appropriate strategic partner in Asia so as to work towards stability in the region. The two key elements of the new Indo-Japan strategic partnership are civil nuclear cooperation and that in defence [sic]. 

One of the big questions in both politics and economics is whether government development aid actually produces economic growth in the recipient countries. [...] And, as the finding above shows, it doesn’t work. Not only doesn’t it work, the aid we give for political reasons works less well than that. We should, therefore, simply stop doing this. Which is as some of us have thought for a long time. The last 40 years of globalisation have shown that the finest poverty reduction technique we have is trade

As this week’s final nuclear talks got underway, there was one uninvited guest: Maryam Imanieh, the wife of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. She arrived at Vienna’s Palais Saxe-Coburg Hotel with Hossein Fereydoon, President Hassan Rouhani’s brother, adding a new twist to the final days of negotiations.

Australia's approach to digital diplomacy is second-rate and entirely inadequate for a nation that sees itself as 'a top 20 country'. Despite an expanded social media presence, Australia continues to lag far behind other countries – large and small – that are investing serious resources into building up their digital diplomacy capabilities.