The current debate on the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act is filled with misinformation about the history of Smith-Mundt, some of it verging on blatant propaganda, making the overall discussion rich in irony...Today, it is the Smith-Mundt Act that is victim to “false propaganda” and “misinformation” that are shaping the perceptions of the the Modernization Act as a whole and its parts.

During her visit, Under Secretary Sonenshine will engage with civil society and emphasize people-to-people ties shared between the United States and Pakistan. She will meet with young Pakistani entrepreneurs and female students to discuss the shared goal of empowerment and to discuss ways to unlock their full potential.

Recognizing that it would require budget-wrecking spending to quickly catch up with the United States as a wielder of military strength, China is, at least for now, emphasizing soft power – trying to extend its influence through attraction rather than coercion.

BEIJING --- During the 20 years since the demise of the Soviet Union, and after a unipolar moment for the United States, China has emerged as the newest superpower. All its predecessors at this exalted level, going back even before Rome, have established their positions by amassing formidable military strength. But China is going about matters differently.

This weekend another 100 were brutally massacred in Syria including the stabbing and axing of nearly 50 children. The U.N. Security Council condemns it, of course, but can soft power or cultural diplomacy play any role here? Or is it only a matter for hard power and military intervention?

Pakistan is seething with anti-Americanism. This public sentiment is constraining the state's ability to find sensible options to work out the US-Pakistan relationship. People in the decision-making mix realise that a failure to transform the situation could eventually force a complete breakdown of this all-important partnership to Pakistan's own detriment.

The Rapid Growth Soft Power Index consists of three criteria: integrity, global integration and image. Although year-on year changes do occur in the rankings, the absolute changes are not large, demonstrating that a strong power brand typically takes many years to acquire or lose.

Literature, the soul of cultural exchange, is giving conventional diplomacy a run for its space in South Asia with the mushrooming literary festivals that are provoking, discussing and building new bridges across cultures.