At face value, Qatar’s engagement with the world is impressive. Doha has not only cultivated a strong alliance with the United States as the host of U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) and extended overtures to Israel, but until recently the tiny emirate truly also competed with its larger neighbor—the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—for a dominant role in the Sunni Arab world.

South Africa ranks at number 37 with a nett nation brand value of US$ 225bn. [...] These numbers tell a story about South Africa. They tell us that the South African nation brand is strong and resilient and after a mere 21 years of democracy, the nation can compete with the world's most developed countries. South Africa's brand competitiveness is more than just a series of numbers, it is a brand reality that is experienced and lived by citizens, visitors, investors. 

As Palestinian veterans and analysts grapple with the question of whether current events bear the hallmarks of a new intifada, Al Jazeera reached out to a number of Palestinians under the age of 30 throughout the region. 

The International School of Protocol & Diplomacy (ISPD), which has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium will be opening its center in Muscat by January. ISPD is Europe’s leading academic institution offering programs in protocol, diplomacy and cross-cultural communication skills, and this center will be its first in the Middle East.[...] “With powerful nation-branding efforts, Oman and the entire Middle East could project their real business and growth potential to the rest of the world."

Painting a sanguine outlook for China’s endeavors to enhance soft power, Kim Heung-kyu, political science professor at Ajou University, said that China might be “actively” seeking to utilize its soft power diplomacy including public diplomacy as a tool to expand its influence well beyond East Asia.

India’s cultural capital is enough and more to not let Chinese Confucius institutes win the soft-power game. But, can [India] use it in the proper manner?

[Hello Kitty is] so much more than just a cartoon character, she's the globally recognized ambassador for Japanese soft power in East Asia and beyond, according to anthropologist Dr. Christine Yano from the University of Hawaii.