Deserting debt-laden, recession-racked North Atlantic and Japan for the fast-growing emerging market world may have been irresistible for some investors but many others still remain timid. Why? It may be a case of "hard power" versus "soft power".

The Organization of American States (OAS), together with the Haitian Foreign Ministry and Haiti’s Center for Investment Facilitation (CFI), this week launched a new training course on business diplomacy in Port-au-Prince. The course aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Haitian public and private sectors in the area of investment and international trade, and to foster inter-institutional cooperation on business diplomacy.

In his extensive dealings with Pyongyang, Moon revealed both the potential and the limitations of the hard-edged yet increasingly open policy towards North Korea that Japan, South Korea, and the United States embraced immediately after the Cold War.

Thailand is boosting bilateral trade, investment and tourism with Vietnam, including a project to build a new department store in the neighboring country, while Bangkok Bank has also obtained a licence to operate for 99 years in Vietnam.

Notably, respondents to the survey tended to fault the U.S. most often for its foreign policy, in which a “hard power” approach is often emphasized. Dr. Margaret C. Lee, professor of African and Afro-American Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, suggests that the U.S. could begin to reform its image in Africa and elsewhere by emphasizing soft power that achieves results for Africans.

Colombia's "cultural diplomacy" in Asia has helped the South American country open new markets and attract more investment, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.

With the official launch of the Brand Ghana programme Tuesday morning, then Vice President, John Dramani Mahama discussed the importance of promoting a positive image of the country despite the many challenges Ghanaians currently face.

Miller Matola, CEO of Brand South Africa, says since 1994, South Africa has continued to exceed expectations in keeping its regulatory and financial environments sustainable and on par with the rest of the world.