How many cultural and educational centers does Russia have in the United States? This was the very question that preoccupied my thoughts when I first visited the American Center in Moscow in the Foreign Literature Library in 2008. Although I didn’t find the exact answer to my question, I came up with my own ideas regarding successful soft power and the example set by the U.S. government.

NaHHA’s work is based on communication between the Hawaiian community as the host culture and the tourism industry and tourists as a “foreign audience”, and is therefore closely related to public diplomacy...Although some of the mass hotels and other tourist corporations have been increasingly supportive of cultural initiatives in recent years, the industry’s priority is economic profit, which historically has lead to a commercialization of Hawaiian cultural elements for entertainment purposes.

In sport, China has discovered a new brand of soft power to extend its influence across the globe...In recent times, starting from the successful 2008 Summer Olympic Games, China has also used sport to extend its influence in the global community. The global influence of Chinese athletes such as tennis player Li Na, hurdler Liu Xiang and basketball player Yao Ming are key examples.

Japanese Internet billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani has a solution for Japan’s diplomatic woes with China: let more Chinese players play on the country’s sports teams...Japan is missing out on a chance to build goodwill across the globe by restricting the number of foreign players, said Mr. Mikitani, who is also a member of a panel on industrial competitiveness reporting to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Some of the best Malay movies from Singapore's yesteryears will showcase great performances by well-known names in local theatre in Mexico under a cultural exchange between the National Museum here and the Mexico Embassy.

Two recent books on China and India have highlighted the rising importance of public diplomacy within the foreign policies of these rising Asian giants. Taken together, U.S. academic David Shambaugh’s China Goes Global and Indian writer and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor’s Pax Indica reveal some telling differences between the way both governments approach the pursuit of soft power.

While the political influence of the Vatican might be limited to public diplomacy, the spiritual influence has great significance for millions of Christians around the world. Consequently, the pope has always had a great impact on global peace and security...Indeed, I hope that Pope Francis will renew the Catholic-Muslim Forum with new energy and commitment to the spirit of the A Common Word Initiative which Pope Benedict XVI helped begin.

After taking office, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Russia for his first stop abroad, met with his counterpart Vladimir Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and signed a series of treaties. This demonstrates the close strategic relations the two countries enjoy.