In reading through various reports from Davos last week, I couldn’t help but wonder with all that power amassed – over 4500 attendees to include hundreds of heads of state and CEOs – and all the current crises compounding on the world’s stage, might something different result.

In reading through various reports from Davos last week, I couldn’t help but wonder with all that power amassed – over 4500 attendees to include hundreds of heads of state and CEOs – and all the current crises compounding on the world’s stage, might something different result. Would there be any fresh thinking or radical action to come of such a gathering at such an auspicious time in world history.

"Europe was taking the United States for granted in providing defense and filling military capability gaps. It has become so enamored with soft power that it has stopped investing in hard power. In terms of hard security, it makes Europe a free rider. Europe should start investing in its military and building an effective military that can provide leverage on its soft power.”

In parallel, sport is simultaneously being used to boost participation in sport amongst the population, improve health and lifestyles, promote social cohesion, enable the generation of country branding opportunities, and provide the basis for international networking and political influence.

Since 1994, a total of 1,201 American and German journalists have participated in RIAS’s unique transatlantic professional exchanges. In addition, the RIAS Berlin Commission annually presents awards for radio, TV and Internet productions...

Given that the EU considers liberal democratic transformation the main criteria of membership, Turkey thus accelerated the process of de-securitization and worked to increase its soft power identity, a sine qua non condition to gain credibility in Western eyes.

The U.S. employed both the hard power of military and economic might as well as the soft power of ideology, diplomacy and culture. Resistance to post-war Americanization was crucial to the French and Italian communist parties.

Joseph S. Nye, who describes the situation as “present day Europe having seizures of over-optimism and Euro-pessimism consecutively,” also draws attention to another dimension of the problem...a failing Europe is the issueat hand in the new geopolitical order...