For Nairobi’s commuters, summer has brought more woes than usual. [...] there has been an almost weekly shutdown as foreign VIPs fly in. [...] an increasing number are from the Middle East, their visits underlining a dramatic twist in the centuries-old battle between foreign powers for influence, trade, resources and military assets in a strategically sensitive part of the world.

Essentially, from the moment he took office — from the Davos glitziest in January, to this month’s whirlwind trip to China — the prime minister has cannily seized on his international star appeal to try to create commercial benefit for the Canadian economy. And the right people are noticing [...] The challenge is how to build this opportunity. Our prime minister can and should be the door opener. 

There is a need for African governments and industry to explore innovative financing schemes alongside enactment of robust policies to spur the growth of the cinema and audio visual industry, [...] Speaking at a media roundtable ahead of the Africa Film Festival to be held in Nairobi from October 12 to 16, the officials said a vibrant creative industry will boost the continent's soft power and economic growth.

Revelations that Labor senator Sam Dastyari benefited from the largesse of Chinese benefactors have prompted several Australian journalists to draw attention to the problematic prospect of Chinese influence in Australia. [...] While important stories, these are not examples of soft power. Soft power is something different and the difference is important. Understanding it helps us analyse China’s attempts at influence.

Kenya has recently enhanced its "soft power hegemony" through its economic diplomacy, defined as the strategic use of wide-ranging economic tools and opportunities available to the state to achieve its national interest. Since 2013, Kenya has projected its soft power through economic diplomacy, in turn, transforming the country into 'a global soft power'.

In a day and age when the application of armed forces to resolve disputes between countries becomes less probable, the concept of "soft power" takes on a life of its own. Amongst the tools of political influence, the role of cinema as a soft power cannot be undermined. Bollywood’s ability to shape narratives in the course of diplomacy gives soft power a whole new connotation and also redefines "the best propaganda is not propaganda" dictum.

For twenty years, I have been researching and writing about Taiwan’s external communications – it’s propaganda, public diplomacy, cultural relations, and what is now called “soft power”. I remain committed to understanding how a state [...] can use external communications to project globally its values and ambitions, and thereby further its political and diplomatic agenda.