In parallel, sport is simultaneously being used to boost participation in sport amongst the population, improve health and lifestyles, promote social cohesion, enable the generation of country branding opportunities, and provide the basis for international networking and political influence.

Since 1994, a total of 1,201 American and German journalists have participated in RIAS’s unique transatlantic professional exchanges. In addition, the RIAS Berlin Commission annually presents awards for radio, TV and Internet productions...

Given that the EU considers liberal democratic transformation the main criteria of membership, Turkey thus accelerated the process of de-securitization and worked to increase its soft power identity, a sine qua non condition to gain credibility in Western eyes.

The U.S. employed both the hard power of military and economic might as well as the soft power of ideology, diplomacy and culture. Resistance to post-war Americanization was crucial to the French and Italian communist parties.

Joseph S. Nye, who describes the situation as “present day Europe having seizures of over-optimism and Euro-pessimism consecutively,” also draws attention to another dimension of the problem...a failing Europe is the issueat hand in the new geopolitical order...

Neil MacGregor, the director of the British Museum (BM), flew to Saudi Arabia, his first visit to the heart of the Islamic world...Mr MacGregor and Venetia Porter, the BM’s keeper of Islamic art, spoke to the chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities...

Extremist use of the media and information environment to propagate views and garner international support comes under the microscope in Germany next month...experts from government, academia and industry will focus on the issue...

Europe’s mastery of soft power seemed destined to eclipse military might in the post-Cold War age. The building of a continent “whole and free”...These days the European dream seems to be turning into a nightmare. The prospect of the euro’s collapse.