Chinese culture enjoys increasing influence in the world. What makes it so attractive? What are the challenges facing it? Over the past eight years, the Confucius Institute has made remarkable achievements in promoting the Chinese culture and language worldwide.

The 2012 Taiwan Study Camp for Future Leaders of Pacific Allies, aiming to promote Taiwan’s cultural diplomacy and demonstrate its soft power, kicked off July 9 in Taipei, according to event-organizer the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Many Americans think that the United States' primary role in the world is the projection of military might. And while the "hard power" represented by drone strikes and aircraft carriers is essential to our security, living and portraying our values is as - if not more - important in the long run.

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.