The relationship between India and Maldives has changed much from what it was in the post-independent 1960s. After setting up its harbours in the island nation, now China’s use of soft power is gaining strength. 

Instead of hiding behind America’s military shield, Europe needs to spend on arms to protect its security interests, according to Nick Witney. In the run-up to last December’s European Union defence summit, British general Nick Houghton warned Britain’s armed forces risked being “hollowed out.”Too little of Britain’s reduced defence budget was being spent on personnel, he noted, and too much on “exquisite” equipment bought for the wrong reasons. “We must also be careful,” he cautioned, “that the defence budget is not disproportionately used to support the British defence industry.”

Amid mounting criticism of its actions against Ukraine, Moscow is stepping up efforts to repair its image and make its voice heard in Europe, with Russian-funded think tanks and media on the ground working hard to woo Europeans.

China and Russia are fighting a heated war with the United States. It is an intense battle of words and ideas fought between state-sponsored broadcasters, on the airwaves, and online.

There are plenty of reasons to learn Japanese. For one, the Japanese are Kings of "Soft Power", or cultural influence. The internet, videogames and children's cartoons are heavily influenced by the cute, cuddly touch of Japanese heritage. While some of this reaches us, it is only the tip of the iceberg.

There is no question that the prize is a valuable initiative showcasing Taiwan’s soft power and desire to make the world a better place. In providing a platform where exceptional international minds can come together and participate in meaningful dialogue, the prize is addressing new challenges of the modern world by combining millennium-old wisdom of the East with the cutting-edge technology of the West.

In today's times, China has adopted soft power in a different sense. It is concerned to couch its rise to global power in non-threatening tones. Not wanting, like Germany and Japan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to threaten the existing world order and provoke a world war, it wishes to present its rise as harmonious.