The island nation of Vanuatu has had a difficult post-colonial history. Forced to watch on as surrounding Pacific nations experience a tourism boom, the country has relied on donor aid. But a new Green prime minister is…
Jealous of the British-inspired Commonwealth Games and the Jeux de la Francophonie for nations of the former French empire, Portugal has created the Jogos da Lusofonia. In a world of soft power, pole vaulters and sprinters…
In a former jail, now home to the American College of Building Arts, students are learning traditional restoration techniques and preserving their city of Charleston, South Carolina, in the process.
Belgium has opened an impressive new embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But this soft-power flourish will struggle to repair relations with the old colonial master – especially when the DRC is set on a worrying…
Napoleon sold off Louisiana in 1803 but the French government is busier than ever promoting Gallic culture in the former colonial state. Latest move: funding a new school and getting the headlines from Paris on the local…
Predicting the future is a notoriously tricky game, yet past experiences and current concerns can provide important clues – whether that is charting the success of bold urbanism, learning lessons from cultural controversies…
Australia’s architectural heritage is rooted in practicality but has since been elevated – even those houses that are already on stumps – by modern interpretation to become something altogether more elegant and enduring.…
The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration, aka the Peace Palace, houses a crack team striving to resolve international disputes and bring about world peace. It may sound idealistic, but its services are increasingly in…
Singapore has felt the wrath of two neighbours already this year. Indonesia banned exports of construction sand claiming it was concerned about environmental damage (perhaps coincidentally, the two countries are also in…
Should they stay or should they go? Puerto Ricans dither about becoming fully part of the US or seeking independence. Meanwhile the economy wobbles. But finally there seems to be a way forward.
Egypt is swept up in a wave of euphoria as it takes bold steps towards democracy following the fall of Hosni Mubarak. But part of any future success relies on the Arab giant harnessing the potential of the Suez Canal – and…
Is it time to pull down the shutters on the UN? In a highly personal commentary on the strife at the United Nations, a former special assistant to Kofi Annan says the 60-year-old institution is no longer fit to solve the…