On July 20th, 2011, famine was declared in parts of the Horn of Africa. As humanitarian aid becomes a familiar and even expected element in public diplomacy, senior members from the State Department provided an update on continued U.S. efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the region as well as some of the ongoing security challenges that exist.

Thus, Seoul fully recognizing the limits of its hard power, values the utility and significance of soft power. Over the years, it has harnessed its soft power resources in burnishing its image at regional and global fora.

These would mainly entail concrete and transparent democratic improvements, as well as economic measures aimed at improving quality of life and opportunities for the general public. The United States could complement assistance by augmenting its public diplomacy, cultural outreach and educational exchanges.

South Korea had given North Korea $29.5 million in aid through Unicef from 1996 until it halted amid tensions over the sinking of warship last year. Seoul's latest move signals the easing of tensions through nongovernmental aid shipments and exchanges, by resuming donation through Unicef programs for medicines, vaccines and nutrients for malnourished North Korean children.

This was smart power. Genius, really. In 2007, 8 out of the 10 countries in the world that viewed the United States most fondly were African. And it can’t be a bad thing for America to have friends on a continent that is close to half Muslim and that, by 2025, will surpass China in population.

The two giants of the East Asia summit, the United States and China, have both attempted to exercise soft power during the regional talks with promises of funding. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced $US600 million in aid for Indonesia, most of it for “green prosperity” in the world’s third-biggest greenhouse gas emitting nation.

Networks are becoming increasingly important, and positioning in social networks can be an important power resource. Coercion remains an important aspect of power in this global information age, but policy answers will often depend on the context of each market and its asymmetries of vulnerability.

The recent arrival of a Chinese navy hospital ship...to treat the needy in Jamaica flew mainly below the radar of mainstream American media. But the “Peace Ark” mission highlights the delicate balance China is seeking to strike as it tries to show off its growing global military capability and boost its influence in regions once exclusively dominated by the U.S. military, without triggering suspicion and alarm in Washington and elsewhere.