The United States has overtaken Britain as the world’s leading “soft power”, according to a survey claiming that US President Barack Obama’s diplomatic moves in Iran, Cuba and Asia have helped to shift global opinion of the superpower. [...] The Soft Power 30 survey uses a range of polling and digital data to measure a country’s appeal on issues ranging from government, culture and cuisine to education, enterprise and the attractiveness of luxury brands.

China is the most welcoming country when it comes to refugees, according to a new survey of citizens’ attitudes published on Thursday, with Germany ranking second and Britain third. In its first ever report to record global acceptance of refugees, Amnesty International surveyed more than 27,000 people across 27 countries and found that 80 percent of respondents would welcome refugees into their city, neighborhoods or homes.

Mohamed Al-Subeeh was a senior restorer at Syria's best-known mosaic museum, but as war swept deeper into his province, destroying artefacts and threatening his and his family's lives, he was forced to flee […] But when he heard about a project at some of Berlin's top museums that trains newcomers to become Arabic-language guides for fellow refugees, he leapt at the opportunity.

The German chancellor, Angel Merkel, has arrived in southern Turkey to inaugurate the EU aid programme for Syrians in the country, amid concerns that her visit validates Turkey’s creeping authoritarianism and overstates the EU’s humanitarian contribution to the Syrian crisis.

The success of Boise's refugee resettlement program has attracted international attention. German professionals, public officials and volunteers kicked off a two-day visit to Boise on Friday to learn about how the city welcomes and integrates refugees. 

Country branding is the process of building (and managing) the way a country is perceived by the rest of the world. It is an important component to national development given its effect on global trade, investments, tourism and diplomacy. It also has a profound influence on our sense of identity and national pride.
 

Germany’s relationship with the Baltic Sea region has traditionally oscillated between collaboration on one hand, and hesitancy on the other. However, given the growing strategic importance of the Baltic Sea region for Germany, it has become crucial for Germany to more fully engage the region through public diplomacy initiatives, with the Baltic islands emerging as a prime target audience.