Alone again. Since World War II’s end, Europe has looked at the world through a transatlantic lens. There have been ups and downs in the alliance with the United States, but it was a family relationship built on a sense that we would be there for each other in a crisis and that we are fundamentally like-minded. Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president threatens to bring this to an end – at least for now.

The latest fashionable export from Denmark, following on from interior design and high-quality television drama, hygge is the Scandinavian country’s latest gift to the world. But this particular export is a concept. Roughly described as a feeling of cosy contentment, tips on how to achieve a sense of hygge fill lifestyle and fashion magazines. As is often the case with lifestyle concepts, an older cultural practice has been commodified. 

The 21st century, however, belongs to Football 3.0 (the Asian era). Over the last decade, football has been in the midst of a shift eastwards. Countries including Qatar and states of the United Arab Emirates have built extensive sponsorship portfolios in the West, acquired overseas clubs, and successfully bid to host international tournaments. More recently, China has increased the pace of world football’s ‘Asianisation’.

A decade ago, NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division and its stakeholders stared blankly at the skyrocketing evolution of social media. Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Twitter—just to name a few—were new phenomena which at first seemed to attract young people, but had no place in a serious international organization that dealt with high-level political topics, let alone security and defense.

Vice President Chen Chien-jen praised participants of the 2016 International Youth Ambassador Exchange Program Oct. 15 for their outstanding performance and contributions to Taiwan’s public diplomacy during an event at New Taipei City’s National Taiwan University of Arts. 

Kids Euro Festival, one of the largest performing arts festivals for children in America, returns to the Washington, DC metro area October 26 to November 6, 2016. The 9th edition of this popular annual festival features free, family-friendly performances, concerts, movies and workshops that provide a flavor of European arts and culture – no passport required!

Having fallen in love with Luxembourg 15 years ago, Pahlson-Moller stated how she found it difficult to explain where she comes from to those who ask from outside Luxembourg. This was precisely the reason for the strategy launched by the government in 2013 [...] three values emerged on which Luxembourgers and foreign residents agree. Luxembourg should be identified as “open, dynamic and reliable.” 

The soccer soft power contrast between Qatar and Iceland speaks volumes. A comparison of the strategies of both countries demonstrates that it takes more than money to leverage soccer to create political, geopolitical and economic opportunity. Money and world soccer body FIFA’s desire to take one of the world’s foremost sporting events beyond Europe and the Americas helped Qatar win the right to host the 2022 World Cup.