With the United States engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and facing diplomatic standoffs with nations like Cuba and Venezuela, Americans can tend to feel culturally isolated from some countries. A new business in Pittsburgh is trying to change that - through food. The Conflict Kitchen serves meals from countries that America finds diplomatically tricky, and by doing so, hopes to bring further awareness about cultures that might otherwise seem foreign. The BBC shares the story.

As Washington prepares for a visit from Chinese President Hu Jintao this week, we take a look at what lies ahead in the shifting relationship between superpowers. Should we fear the "waking dragon"? We're joined by Gideon Rachman, chief foreign-affairs commentator for the Financial Times and author of "Zero-Sum Future: American Power in an Age of Anxiety," and Simon Tay, was an Asia Society 2009 Bernard Schwartz Fellow and is Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. He is also the author of "Asia Alone: The Dangerous Post-Crisis Divide from America."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in India today. Joining The Takeaway to talk about Clinton's trip and Washington's challenges in the subcontinent are Linda Blake, Wall Street Journal contributor in Delhi, India, Professor Brahma Chellaney, Professor of Strategic Studies at the Center for Policy Research in Delhi and Richard Wolffe, Daily Beast Columnist and political analyst for MSNBC.

Read Linda Blake's blog Global Reporter

Watch a clip of Secretary of State Clinton's speech to India on July 15, 2009 below.

Iran again tops this week's agenda and our guides Marcus Mabry, international business editor for the New York Times and Jonathan Marcus, diplomatic correspondent for the BBC, will take a look at the protests surrounding the disputed presidential election. Also on the agenda this week: the latest news from Capitol Hill; the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Voting Rights Act, and the trial of singer Chris Brown for the alleged assault against pop star Rhianna starts this week. We've got all the news you'll need to keep your eyes on in the week ahead.

If you haven't seen the video of Neda, the young woman killed in Iran, here it is. CAUTION: It has very graphic content:

It's a week full of foreign news: disarray continuing in Iran following the country's hotly contested presidential election; the world reacts to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Mideast peace plan; and U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell is in Syria. On the domestic front, President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner are expected to lay out regulation reforms. The Takeaway is joined by Marcus Mabry, International Business Editor for The New York Times, and Jonathan Marcus, Diplomatic Correspondent for the BBC.

The Takeaway talks to Marcus Mabry, International Business Editor for The New York Times, and BBC Arab Affairs Analyst Magdi Abdel Hadi about what's in the headlines for the week ahead. Topics include President Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner hitting the road, GM contining the long, slow walk to bankruptcy, and predictions that unemployment numbers may hit nine percent for the first time in a quarter of a century.

President Obama touches down in Mexico City this afternoon for talks with his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon. This is his first trip to Latin America since being inaugurated. Details of the trip are sketchy due to security concerns, but Obama is sure to address ongoing violence stemming from Mexico’s war against drug cartels. The Takeaway talks to Ioan Grillo Mexico Correspondent for Time Magazine.

For more, here is the AP's report on the visit: