Stories from Afghanistan's rich, centuries-old oral tradition have helped teach reading and thinking skills to U.S. children since 1998. Now they're being employed for the same purposes in the country of their origin... thanks to a generous grant from the U.S. government.

How will the core group of America, Pakistan and Afghanistan work alongside the bilateral effort that Pakistan and Afghanistan have supposedly been working on?...It is about time to start implementing the reconciliation process... but the path forward is not as clear as public diplomacy might suggest.

When you think of this country's so-called soft power, you probably focus on popular culture and the siren song of the energetic immigrant's dream—though perhaps that's more fantasy these days—of moving here and making it in the land of milk and honey. You probably don't think of hair-styling tips.

A ‘strategic partnership’ agreement was signed by Afghanistan and India. For all these years India has been identified with building roads, hospitals and schools in Afghanistan. India is also keen for economic engagement...India has been exhibiting its “soft power” standing in the region.

Army 1st Lt. Michael O’Neill was deployed to Afghanistan when his family asked what they could send him to help the Afghan children.Little did O’Neill realize at the time that his request for children’s books would be instrumental in launching an innovative literacy initiative...

For us, public diplomacy is very much an instrument of soft power. We seek to inform and engage people in our countries, but also far beyond. We are fully aware of some of the stereotypes about NATO that still drive public perceptions in some countries.

The strategic partnership lays considerable emphasis on people to people ties. The two sides have agreed to simplify the rules to facilitate people to people exchanges. India appears to be taking a cooperative security approach to deal with security issues, combining hard and soft power options.

Rather than seeking to change the Afghan uniformed services into clones of the Germans, the Poles or the Australians, it would be both cheaper and more effective to have such training carried out by a nearby military that shares several cultural and historical links with the people of Afghanistan.