In his book, “A Contest for Supremacy: China, America, and the Struggle for Mastery in Asia,” Aaron L. Friedberg says American diplomats are far too concerned with getting along with this Asian economic juggernaut at the expense of U.S. security interests.

Russia's new NGO law is more than a move against organizations receiving foreign funding. It is part of a broader campaign to squeeze out those the Kremlin sees as peddlers of "soft power." The law, pushed through Russia's lower house, would see groups receiving funding from abroad dubbed "foreign agents."

Dr. Yasser Ali, the acting presidential Spokesman said President Morsi stressed that he was aware of the challenges facing Egyptian. Dr. Yasser Ali said President Morsi underlined his strong belief that Education and scientific research were the wings of soft power in Egypt and the locomotive of renaissance and development.

Strategists say that India has the required hard power in regional power dynamics, and soft power is in abundance. What we need to see really is whether we have smart power, an oft-used term nowadays, which is an amalgamation of the two. It also means being smart enough to integrate the military as an important intellectual cog in the decision making apparatus of India's foreign policy.

Finally, the success of Myanmar to have a democratic election sends an important message to all of us that soft power diplomacy is not only possible, but can be relied on to deal with conflicts and political turmoil in countries without violence. Various problems that were caused by conflict and political turmoil can be resolved through dialogue, without political and military intervention.

The Qatar Foundation sponsors Barcelona football club, a reminder that in 10 years' time it will play host to the World Cup. Then there is the Doha-based al-Jazeera television, considered the most important Arab news TV channel, owned by Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation—which last week claimed that it had evidence that the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was poisoned with polonium.

Peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis resumed this week, in an elaborate tent off a dirt road south of this hotly disputed city where Abraham, the patriarch of both peoples, is believed to have buried his wife.

But the crown prince and princess too are part of the soft power strategy of Spain. That was why they were in New York, part of a quiet tour of the U.S. northeast.... in the party in the Cervantes institute were a select audience susceptible to their brand of royalty: prominent leaders of the Hispanic community in the U.S., an audience well aware of their own historical links to Spain on various levels...