Nations such as South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and others all keep a close eye on China, but they also know that they individually and especially collectively possess enough economic and political vitality to offset some of China's regional dominance.

diplomacy - Diplomacy - DIPLOMACY: the three different ways of writing this word illustrate three different ways in which diplomacy is perceived today.

For most Americans today, Russia is more an annoyance than a threat. But if you live in Georgia, a small country on Russia's southern border, the Kremlin remains a menacing presence. If the Russian bear becomes hungry, Georgia might be a morsel too tempting to resist.

My own minor, rather frivolous, contribution to the creation of the new diplomatic jargon -- pubic diplomacy -- did not appeal to the wordmasters of the universe. But it does occasionally appears as a typo in some U.S. Embassy internal memoranda.

The Obama administration is considering a campaign of air strikes to hit IS in Libya. That is a tactical response, not a strategy. So too is the notion that the United States and its allies can kill IS fighters faster than the organization can recruit new ones.

When it comes to Turkey portraying itself to the world, its leaders say all the right things about public diplomacy and the country's desire to be less insular. But despite having an alluring business environment and being a magnet for tourists, Turkey has yet to fully address more substantive matters related to its identity. Its leaders need to answer a big question: What does Turkey want?