That K-dramas have bolstered South Korea's cultural capital is quite established. In May 2013, Park was invited to Los Angeles to participate in the Leaders' Meeting for Creative Economy. The meeting brought together South Korean government and entrepreneurs to discuss Korea's economic growth on the world stage. Park was there to discuss how DramaFever and similar initiatives were helping to bolster South Korea's global influence.

Indonesia, home to the world’s largest population of Muslims, had some words of advice for the United States for defeating the extremist group Islamic State and other like-minded jihadists.

It's been several weeks since the coup that wasn't in Lesotho, yet there's been little progress in unravelling the tense political stand-off there. This comes despite the best efforts of President Zuma and his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, who have both invested plenty of time and diplomatic capital in efforts to find a solution. SA's influence only stretches so far, apparently.

It is time for China to explore the "recipe" for British cultural soft power, which generates many economic benefits. Cultural charm makes the United Kingdom an attractive option for foreign tourists, students and investors, and it oils the wheels of trade and business. A recent example involved wealthy Chinese businessmen who splashed out as much as 100,000 pounds ($163,160) on a hunting trip in Scotland. 

With a wealth of 'soft power' resources, Japan continually strives to enhance the attractiveness of its image overseas through human, cultural and intellectual exchange, and public diplomacy. In particular, Japan's so-called sub-culture of animation (anime), movies, comics (manga), pop music and Japanese cuisine, has significant global reach.

China and Southeast Asia are more intertwined than ever. Trade between these two regions is booming, and Chinese investors are pouring into Southeast Asia. China is fully involved in most regional security meetings organised by Asean. This era of Sino-Southeast Asian relations should therefore be a golden age bringing mutual peace and prosperity for all concerned.

As Indian athletes get ready to compete in Incheon today few remember how the modern Asian Games themselves were virtually invented by India, how central these Games were for the hopes, aspirations and ideals of Nehruvian India and the role they played in soft power diplomacy in the early years after independence.

In the post-Cold War international system, and an increasingly globalised world, 'soft power' has gained prominence. However, 'soft power' has always been significant for post-WWII Japan, which renounced military 'hard power' as a means of pursuing state policy, embracing pacifism. With a wealth of 'soft power' resources, Japan continually strives to enhance the attractiveness of its image overseas through human, cultural and intellectual exchange, and public diplomacy.