According to the Chinese Ministry of Culture, the Chinese government invested about 1.33 billion yuan ($214 million) by the end of 2014 to build overseas China Cultural Centers and is expected to add another 360 million yuan for developing and running the institutes in 2015. That’s up 181 percent from last year!

Despite its detractors, Eurovision remains the single largest televised annual cultural event in the world. Of course, the UK doesn't exactly need the soft power nor is it lacking in cultural power outside Eurovision; Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and BBC News attest to that.

The anti-Americanism makes it harder for American culture to make inroads through its traditional means — soft-power routes such as movies, music and education.

To trust Iran is a gamble. But ... it is a risk worth taking — as long as that country’s assertions of good faith are balanced by serious and verifiable restrictions on its behavior ... and backed by a robust regime of monitoring and inspections.

The tour included various political, economic and  research aspects that raised questions about the way the American decision maker sees Qatar’s role in the Middle East, and the size of political relations between the two countries.

 Instead of using this opportunity with the soft power of our minds and the underlying Islamic cause, we have remained stuck in archaic Turkish nationalism.

The United States will spend some $10 million on UXO efforts this year, part of a diplomatic offensive on a former enemy that includes health and education programs, a soft power campaign for a new Asian alliance to offset China's regional influence.

Previously held in Istanbul, Cairo, Baku, Baghdad and Tehran, the subject of this year’s forum is “Addressing Multi-Dimensional Security Challenges” and will focus on themes addressing security challenges; cooperation in defence, politics and economy; dialogue among Muslims to promote unity; as well as promoting a soft power image of Muslim countries as a whole.