Japan's government has budgeted over $15 million to fund Japan studies at nine overseas universities, including Georgetown and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as part of a "soft power" push to counter the growing influence of China and South Korea.

Whether the intention behind such actions by members of Congress was to undermine the Obama Administration, to sabotage the nuclear negotiations, or to gain domestic support, they have done nothing but sabotage the image of the United States.

In terms of perceptions, many international publics believe the global economic balance of power has swung sharply towards the country. It has exposed the country to greater foreign scrutiny for which it has generally been ill-prepared. This has exposed a growing "soft-power deficit" which is complicating China's rise to power.

A distinctive, bilingual Hispanic American culture is blurring old distinctions between Mexican-Americans and other Latinos. That culture’s swaggering soft power can be felt across the Spanish-speaking world.

This commitment is also crucial to our own long-term strategic interests in Britain. In the Department for International Development, we have a unique institution - with the right mandate and funding - which gives the UK world-leading soft power capacity

The United States is conducting a “soft power” campaign – an effort to deter potential IS recruits and supporters of the militant group. Projects are being aimed at the young, who have joined IS in alarming numbers from around the world.

A Pew Poll conducted last year found that that only 28% of Americans believe that their “country stands above all others.” This is down 10 percentage points from just three years earlier.