Arab governance systems are yet not as transformed as many had hoped. However a new process of shaping Arab public opinion has emerged, facilitated by popular dynamism combined with the Internet and other technological innovations. And this revolution in discourse and communications provides an unprecedented opportunity to confront issues that have bedeviled our relations with the Arab world for decades.

NaHHA’s work is based on communication between the Hawaiian community as the host culture and the tourism industry and tourists as a “foreign audience”, and is therefore closely related to public diplomacy...Although some of the mass hotels and other tourist corporations have been increasingly supportive of cultural initiatives in recent years, the industry’s priority is economic profit, which historically has lead to a commercialization of Hawaiian cultural elements for entertainment purposes.

Currently, I am working for the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA), a non-profit organization that promotes a greater presence of Hawaiian culture in the tourism industry. NaHHA works “to connect the Hawaiian community and the tourism industry” through “consulting and educating, developing and implementing effective communication tools.” As a contractor of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA), NaHHA is the lead agency for State of Hawaii’s initiative to promote Hawaiian culture in tourism.

In sport, China has discovered a new brand of soft power to extend its influence across the globe...In recent times, starting from the successful 2008 Summer Olympic Games, China has also used sport to extend its influence in the global community. The global influence of Chinese athletes such as tennis player Li Na, hurdler Liu Xiang and basketball player Yao Ming are key examples.

Japanese Internet billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani has a solution for Japan’s diplomatic woes with China: let more Chinese players play on the country’s sports teams...Japan is missing out on a chance to build goodwill across the globe by restricting the number of foreign players, said Mr. Mikitani, who is also a member of a panel on industrial competitiveness reporting to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Some of the best Malay movies from Singapore's yesteryears will showcase great performances by well-known names in local theatre in Mexico under a cultural exchange between the National Museum here and the Mexico Embassy.

While the political influence of the Vatican might be limited to public diplomacy, the spiritual influence has great significance for millions of Christians around the world. Consequently, the pope has always had a great impact on global peace and security...Indeed, I hope that Pope Francis will renew the Catholic-Muslim Forum with new energy and commitment to the spirit of the A Common Word Initiative which Pope Benedict XVI helped begin.

Two recent books on China and India have highlighted the rising importance of public diplomacy within the foreign policies of these rising Asian giants. Taken together, U.S. academic David Shambaugh’s China Goes Global and Indian writer and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor’s Pax Indica reveal some telling differences between the way both governments approach the pursuit of soft power. Both books suggest quite divergent outlooks for the two governments in their search for global influence through PD in the coming years.