...if a nation wants to influence people and win friends around the globe it is easier to do if its image abroad is positive. In this context then Australia today has something to worry about.

It’s that time of year again. 12 October 2010 saw the publication of this year’s results for the Anholt Roper GfK Nation Brands Index. As has been the case in recent years, there are few surprises in this year’s result.

It’s that time of year again. 12 October 2010 saw the publication of this year’s results for the Anholt Roper GfK Nation Brands Index. As has been the case in recent years, there are few surprises in this year’s result. Obama’s US retains the top spot ahead of the familiar family of European big hitters and Japan.

Australia was seen as a "pariah state" by a growing number of countries after violent attacks against Indian students badly damaged its global standing, a public diplomacy expert said on Thursday...widespread publicity about crime against Indian students in the southern city of Melbourne, including muggings, beatings and a murder, had soured global views of Australia as a just and friendly nation.

During the past few years, Beijing has talked of projecting its soft power, its cultural influence. But that was either a feint or was destined to be a flop. Instead, China is now exercising its influence in the world of hard power, where it makes other countries behave in the way it wants -- and this is especially apparent in the seas surrounding China's 14,500km coastline.

Canberra is often criticised for being a city of monuments. Mahatma Gandhi has been immortalised in bronze and perhaps most controversially, the late Labor-stalwart Al Grassby. Now there is one more luminary to add to the list - the long-dead but still influential Chinese philosopher, Confucius.

Commonwealth Games 2010 will not be about sports only, it would also have other elements to make it more vibrant and colourful. One such component that would add more colour to the mega-event will be Australia''s cultural representation at the Games.

Despite the dozens of reports on U.S. public diplomacy, it is actually quite rare to see an in-depth study on public diplomacy, particularly in the areas of government broadcasting..Even more rare is an in-depth public analysis of the public diplomacy of another country by another country. This week, an Australian think tank, the Lowy Institute, published such a report.