Al Jazeera's English-language news channel reaches an estimated 220 million households worldwide. Currently celebrating its fifth anniversary, even its fiercest critics have come to acknowledge both its increasing global impact and, more recently, its indispensable role in covering the wave of revolutionary ferment sweeping the Middle East.

Established thirteen years, the role of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs has been an enduring question of the State Department, the Defense Department, National Security Staff, the Congress and the many others interested in America’s efforts to understand, inform, and influence global audiences.

China is the home of pandas and kung fu, yet it took Hollywood to make the smash-hit animated movie Kung Fu Panda, the sequel of which was China's most popular film in 2011. Through massive investment, and countless censors, the Communist Party aims to boost China's "soft power," or cultural influence, abroad.

The Arab Spring makes clear that the nature of power wielded by states is evolving as societies get networked digitally. Intriguingly, a new network-centric theory of power favors Sweden's open nature as a multiplier of its global influence. In fact, Sweden is better positioned than the US to become a collaborative superpower, especially in the Middle East.

Washington and Beijing are now battling over soft power. Hillary Clinton’s visit in December to Myanmar, which China views as being within its orbit of influence, is a fascinating footnote. As China tries to extend its sway in Asia, the U.S. must realize that its own regional ambitions need some polishing, too.

Confucius institutes are part of a global campaign, funded by Beijing, to promote Chinese language and culture. However, the involvement of the Chinese one-party state, and its soft power ambitions, have generated some opposition. The siting of these centres in universities and public schools also makes them contentious.

Shanghai is sparing no effort to develop itself as a center for international finance, economic activity, trade and logistics in China. According to the latest report, The International Image of Shanghai, among its four goals, the position of Shanghai as an international financial center was best known by foreigners.

For the past 64 years, the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy has been providing "honest appraisals and informed discourse on" efforts by U.S. officials interacting with key overseas citizens to "increase global awareness and understanding of our values, policies and activities." Now with little fanfare, it died quietly.