U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says a key to successful diplomacy is careful listening _ particularly when talking with leaders you may disagree with.

Kerry expects to use those listening skills during his final 16 months on the job, particularly in ongoing discussions with Russia over that country's actions in Syria.

During a talk at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge Tuesday, Kerry touched on a number of challenges including the fight against the Islamic State group.

Kerry said that compared to the world he grew up in that was defined by the Cold War, today's world faces more complex challenges.

But he also noted that while the last century saw tens of millions of deaths in wars fought between states, most current conflicts typically involve non-state actors with far smaller death tolls.  (Associated Press)

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