The key to sustaining a positive and competitive global brand may be to convince a sceptical world that Pakistan has abandoned the use of terrorism as a national security and foreign policy tool. The negative global perception will not change overnight, but the perception that the nation is at peace with itself and the rest of world will help.

razil and Turkey are two nations that espouse soft power as a means of winning influence on the global stage. Both countries seek friendly relations with their neighbors, even when neighbors behave badly on the international scene.

BRICS, grouping Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has set a distinctive example of great powers rising with "soft power," said Boris Martynov, deputy director of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Latin America Institute.

In this world, the United States will not use dicta or hegemon power to shape or control the world order. Instead, the United States has a more humble role with a soft-power advantage, and hence the superpower will not be at the center of global issues ...

"One of the messages we want to spread through the forum is that corporate brands are very important in developing nation brands and nations' economies," says Miller, adding that it is through telling these stories that Africa can be "positioned as the next growth frontier in terms of investment and business".

Day to day public diplomacy deals with particular groups, networks and individuals but it is also important to keep the big picture in mind. That big picture is not just the overall image of the country but the image of the preferred international order.

The mood of the Arab public shifts easily, and beliefs such as that China sells inferior merchandise to Arab countries, or is stealing Middle Eastern oil, have greatly affected the way local people think about China.