The Ministry of Defence should be congratulated not only for taking this most important initiative to hold this Seminar and for the sixth consecutive year, but also for the deciding on a topic “Soft power and its influence on global issues” which is most relevant to the world at this particular time, for Soft Power is essentially the power of Diplomacy which lays absolute emphasis on persuasion, and is the need of the hour. 

Beijing has sought to improve its public image through a soft-power strategy meant to show Zimbabweans that the dragon has a soft, charming underbelly. In 2006, China opened a Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe to spearhead the teaching of Mandarin and the propagation of Chinese culture. Students are keen on mastering the language, seeing it as a passport to new horizons on the international job market.

As conflict persists in the east, the massive financial lifeline pledged by the international community is rife with uncertainties, especially linked to the country's debt. Strangled by 10 months of deadly fighting between government forces and pro-Russia separatists, Ukraine's backers have proposed a new $40 billion, four-year deal to support government finances and combat a severe recession.

The United States will send more economic help and "other kinds" of assistance to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russian-backed rebels, Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday. Kerry said he could not provide any details of possible military equipment that the United States might send to help Ukraine fight the rebels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he will give $19bn in financial aid, for job creation and infrastructure, to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine earlier this year.  He was speaking during a visit to the region in front of members of Russian parliament who called out from their vacation in Moscow and asked to assemble in Crimean city of Yalta.

The new economic program seems intended to counter China's recently growing influence over Caribbean countries. Beijing has diplomatic relations with nine of the 14 countries, with President Xi Jinping having paid a visit to Trinidad and Tobago last year. Abe explained Japan's policy of proactively contributing to global peace, security and prosperity, and reiterated Tokyo's appeal to the international community to resolve territorial and maritime disputes peacefully and in accordance with international laws, and not by force or intimidation.