A recent essay on Chinese “soft power” written not by a US-trained academic, but from within China, provides a chance to find fissures between how and why China is using Western concepts of cultural power on the global stage.  (See Yang Danzhi, “Charm Diplomacy Bears Fruit,” China Daily, April 9, 2012).

"Soft" power looks like a different story but, to take two examples, Brazil has signed no trade deal since the mid-1990s and its quest for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council has been an abject failure, gaining little support from fellow ...

Taiwan's overseas medical missions are a projection of the nation's soft power, Foreign Minister Timothy Yang said Wednesday at a meeting held to encourage hospitals to take part in international humanitarian projects.

Young people from West Asian countries were impressed by Taiwan's soft power, including its achievements in organic farming and heritage preservation, after visiting the country on a 10-day trip, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

The Confucius Institute has now been established for eight years, and there is a new global wave of interest in studying Putonghua. Nowadays, Chinese society realizes the cultural power of Confucianism, and Confucius' name constantly comes up in the context of Chinese culture.

This creates a tension between immediate, sometimes kinetic responses to security challenges that the military typically delivers and “soft-power” solutions that take a longer-term view toward resolving the underlying political, economic and social development causes, the ambassador noted.

Last week, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf asked the impossible of our Foreign Office — project a soft image of Pakistan abroad through public diplomacy, cultural exchange, trade and people-to-people contacts.

But much has changed since the “soft power” strategy of covertly educating North Koreans began in earnest two decades ago. North Koreans are no longer completely in the dark. We can’t quantify the amount of information that has leaked into the country, because we can’t conduct public opinion surveys in North Korea.