It is an established fact that despite the mammoth assistance, both military and economic, the US has failed miserably to achieve its objective of winning hearts and minds here. In contrast, China is perceived by the general public as a trustworthy and long-standing ally even though the aid and loans provided by China are nothing close to that given by the US. 

Shashi Tharoor is fond of narrating this apocryphal story to elaborate on how India is emerging as a “soft power”- as opposed to military might or “hard power”- through its many advances in science and technology and, more importantly, culture, of which the Indian film industry is a prominent component.

With reference to Pakistan, our busy diplomats in the world’s power hub of Washington DC are gradually embracing social media but are not sufficiently trained to engage in debates on social media. That is unfortunate because social media has become the new public diplomacy tool and is far cheaper than the bloated budgets of fancy diplomatic events. In this age of rapid-fire peer-to-peer connectivity, the Pakistan embassy is still boxed in in the world of achingly slow government-to-government negotiations. 

Pakistan is blessed with a vast pool of ingredients that constitute an ideal platform to project its soft power. Although mired with challenges to overcome violence, mismanagement and corruption, Pakistan still has a lot to offer to this world.

The partition of British India followed World War II, and ever since the independent states of India and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the two countries have had a volatile relationship.  On the tennis court, however, India's Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan's Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi have mended some of the political and sporting divide between their two countries by forming a successful partnership on and off the court.

Utilizing foods and showcasing favorite cuisines is a powerful tool of global diplomacy. Historians confirm that the historic importance of food goes back to the time of the Greeks and Romans, when opponents used food to resolve and mend disputes. Recognizing the growing importance of food industry in foreign policy around the world, this diplomacy gets the name "Culinary diplomacy." "Sharing a meal can help people excel boundaries and build bridges." 

When you think about diplomacy and the U.S. State Department, you probably don’t think about jazz singers or pop idols. Yet cultural, and specifically musical diplomacy, is not a new phenomenon – way back in the 1950s Louis Armstrong was described as America’s most effective ambassador. What American diplomats could not do, the New York Times said, Armstrong and his jazz music managed to do.

Since March, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided training to 60 engineers from Jamshoro, Guddu and Muzaffargarh thermal power plants. The training enhanced the engineers’ technical skills and introduced them to industry best practices to improve the operation, maintenance, and management of power plants.