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Over the last few years, scholars and, to a lesser extent, politicians have emphasised the necessity of comprehending the sophisticated global ties in our hyperglobalised world, most notably in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of complex international networks and critical infrastructures, nations are deeply interconnected.In her informative and well-written book Boundary Spanners of Humanity: Three Logics of Communications and Public Diplomacy for Global Collaboration, R. S. Zaharna focuses on a particularly sharp feature of our modern world by arguing that communication and diplomacy are still linked to values of individuality that are increasingly out of sync with the 21st-century framework. The book presents a new paradigm: three logics of communication -individual, relational and holistic -as a way of allowing our connectivity and diversity to react to all of humanity's needs collaboratively.Zaharna argues throughout the book's six chapters that we should profoundly alter our perceptions of ourselves and our communication tools. She begins by describing how early efforts to combat the COVID-19 outbreak highlighted the competitive nature of states, as governments sought to close territorial borders or vaccinate their citizens against a virus that paid no attention to national or international boundaries.To explore how we might enhance collaboration through communication and diplomacy, the author goes back to history and analyses communication from its inception to its contemporary forms. Zaharna performs a thorough evaluation, or, as she puts it, a global voyage to better recognise procedures and preconceived notions about communication and diplomacy. She addresses the shortcomings in conventional communication and diplomatic actions, mainly the individual state-based and culture-based notions of communication.The book first covers Aristotle's 'Individual Logic' , which goes back to ancient Athens's agora or public square, uncovering Aristotle's Rhetoric: the technique or art of public speaking, generally by a statesman, engaged in a war of words to win hearts and minds as a doorway into meaningful private logic. Second, the 'Relational Logic: A Royal Bond of Brotherhood' goes back to the ancient Near East, where the monarchs of Egypt, Assyria and Mesopotamia utilised the 'Amarna diplomacy' or amicable exchange of gifts and greetings, revealing a relational or associative logic. Third, the 'Holistic Logic-Cosmic Circles' underscores the ancient cosmologies and cosmograms used to describe the cosmos. The ancient cosmologies provide vital insights for understanding our

Many empirical studies related to social capital have established that there is a relationship between social capital and mental health. However, little research has been conducted to evaluate interventions designed to improve the level of social capital and evaluate its impact on the mental health of international students. This research, applying a quasi-experimental nonequivalent groups design, aimed to address the gap by examining whether an intervention aimed at building social capital can improve social capital and the mental health of international students at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Study findings revealed that the intervention was effective in developing social capital and improving the mental health of international students.

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the state-society divide behind the theoretical approach makes the arguments less plausible. There are references to political economy in the book, but an analysis focussed on urban poverty requires a more critical engagement.