Let’s move away from these products and focus on how soft power actually incorporates ethical standards of behavior and important societal norms that resonate with others in the world. These fundamental norms should not surprise us: liberal ideas of individualism, economic incentives, democracy and human rights. Implementing these liberal values over many decades has led the U.S. to our dominant global economic and political position.

President Mamnoon Hussain on Wednesday said Pakistan is home to rich cultural heritage and stressed that patronage of arts and literature can promote the country’s positive image abroad. The President expressed these views at the inauguration of an exhibition of Arabic calligraphy organized by Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A big part of Otakon is how it’s planned and managed by volunteers. Longtime anime and manga fans working in various fields are joined by many young people, showing their respect for the Japanese pop culture that has greatly influenced their identities. The event venue is filled with their love for otaku culture.

The center of al-Hashmi al-Shamali has brought more than 100 Syrian and Jordanian children together to perform Dickens’ literary masterpiece. 

The 2015 Milwaukee Film Festival is taking a trip to the other Great White North — Sweden. The Scandinavian cinema powerhouse will be the focus of the festival's fifth Passport program, the film festival announced Tuesday.

The Yunus Emre Institutes and language programs have been also Turkey's force as a diplomatic competitor in grounds of cultural diplomacy around the world, Balcı added. "Yunus Emre Institute's language programs help many of the students to re-establish ties their relatives who speak Turkish, find jobs, and add a new color to their lives," Balcı also said. Turkish Language Summer School aims to acquaint its students with Turkish culture and arts, in addition to improving their Turkish language skills.

Every year, about 120 students in the National University of Singapore (NUS) are busy preparing for the biggest student production in campus: NUANSA Cultural Productions. It is an annual show which was started as a humble initiative in 2008 by a group of Indonesian students in NUS, aiming to showcase the diverse and rich Indonesian culture to the Singaporean community.