A well-balanced foreign policy is needed for Thailand in light of competition between major powers, mainly the United States and China, to increase their influence over Southeast Asia, said prominent scholars in international relations.

The administration may not be doing her any favors in embracing a national security approach ... that de-emphasizes America's military role, encourages the use of the tools of "soft power," such as diplomacy and social media, and plays up coalition-building over going it alone.

Power, in the globalised world of the 21st century, is clearly played out through trade relations – the rise of China, for example, or the success of Germany. The EU exists above all for prosperity and soft power, not the cry of war.

The Chinese historically have had a steady grasp on the usage of soft power. In an interview with the HPR, Professor Joseph Nye, the foremost scholar on smart power, stated that China’s “basic aim is to combine hard and soft power. 

As India celebrated its 66th Republic Day with much fanfare in the presence of US President Barack Obama, it has diligently, over the years, turned the parade that was initially envisaged as a platform to demonstrate military might into one that exhibits its soft power to the world.

A day after sending out a clear message to the world about India’s prime place in the United State’s vision for the Asia-Pacific and beyond, its President Barack Obama was today witnessed as chief guest on the country’s Republic Day Parade, a display of India’s both military might and its soft power.

China is often portrayed as a giant in the hard-power leagues of the economy, technology and the military. But when it comes to the country's soft power, China watchers have little optimism. As some analysts have pointed out that soft power is all in the mind, think tanks are important as a deliverer of soft power as they convey ideas.

This year has seen marked resurgence in the use of hard power by states in pursuit of national interests. Yet, not so long ago, talk in diplomatic, academic and journalistic circles focused on the growing importance of soft power in international relations.