The Government of Canada was, until fairly recently, regarded as somewhat of a PD pioneer. That reputation would now be difficult to sustain. Indeed, whatever this country may at one time have achieved by way of advancing its interests through PD, those days are now long gone.

The rule is part of a broad government effort to take firmer control of China's media landscape. While targeting low-brow trends, China shows its rising interest in developing its own soft power—in the arts, media and culture—to compete with the likes of Hollywood as the nation looks to take on a broader global role.

American dance companies are once again heading overseas to practice a kind of choreographed diplomacy as part of the second season of DanceMotion USA. The program, according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “embraces the full use of diplomatic tools, in this case dance, to engage people and create opportunities for greater understanding.”

What can the United States do to help Nigeria address the immediate security crisis? The first priority should be to neutralize Boko Haram without a massive display of American counter-terrorism prowess, which could provoke the public backlash seen elsewhere. Second is to engage Nigeria’s vast diaspora, perhaps a million-strong in the United States.

As part of its efforts to harness digital technologies for public diplomacy, the US State Department has decided to open up its daily press briefings by letting people across the globe tweet their questions in several languages, including Hindi and Urdu.

“India is a complex nation.” For better development, collaboration with government on urban social issues is a necessity; societies must reclaim responsibility for their citizens; and populations must understand the issues that are common to us all in order to find solutions to the problems that unite us.

Conventional diplomacy was still necessary, but it was no longer sufficient when it came to influencing foreign governments. That influence was best brought to bear through their publics, and through international public opinion, especially when compulsion was not an option and democratization had expanded the scope for exercising influence indirectly.

Turkey’s geopolitical importance enables Turkey to use its soft power to establish prosperity in neighbouring regions and to create win-win situations. Aside from actively engaging in international organizations, Turkey has also promoted its “conservative democracy” as a model for transforming Arab societies throughout the Middle East.