Public diplomacy has been the norm in the US and European countries for a long time, but in China this concept has yet to be understood and accepted widely. Government efforts at communicating with the public both home and overseas are often criticized as insensitive and opaque.

NATO has a public diplomacy department staffed with smart and dedicated people, but it became apparent at a conference on “The Power of Soft Power,” held recently in Brussels, that this contingent is increasingly lonely.

BRUSSELS --- Since its founding in 1949, NATO has been a bastion of hard power, first as an alliance arrayed against the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies, and more recently as a manifestation of Western muscle in conflicts such as Kosovo in 1999 and Libya in 2011. Coming off its decisive performance in helping to end the rule of Muammar Qaddafi, NATO seems to be happily basking in macho glory.

APDS Blogger: Marissa Cruz-Enriquez

Hedgecock’s visit is part of a project, initiated by the Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, to positively represent Israel to the international community.The project aims at bringing senior radio hosts from the United States to Israel, providing them with the opportunity and necessary tools to broadcast the facts to their American listening public.

The past month exposes the limits of leaders who try to shape the world — and how unexpected actions by individuals can influence the course of history."The drama of a singular event can supersede years of policymaking," says Philip Seib, director of the...Center on Public Diplomacy.