This gradually developed into the Chrétien government’s endorsement of “soft power,” a phrase originated by former U.S. president Bill Clinton’s national security adviser Joe Nye, which was a soft alternative to the use of American military might.

It’s true that grand strategy encompasses military, political and economic strategic approaches. But it also requires the support of the people, and the war weary young people of the United States are looking for a new way of doing things from their political leaders.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf today called for the projection of the soft image of Pakistan through public diplomacy by encouraging people-to-people contacts, cultural exchanges and promotion of business and trade

To this day, the U.S. government exercises hard and soft power in scores of countries. The survey results suggest a vast gulf between the beliefs of Americans and the policies being implemented on their behalf.

Not long after becoming secretary of state in 2009, Clinton took up the cookstove cause, one of what she describes as “smart power” issues — though skeptical veterans of American foreign policy tend to deride them as soft more than smart.

Instead of chasing quick wins in the contest for hearts and minds, China should simply conduct itself in a way that speaks to the values that its new superhero is said to promote

Chinese leaders are obsessed with their nation's rise, and see it reclaiming its historic position as a dominant world power. Many Chinese strategists also believe the U.S. is in decline. But their opinion splits on what this means.

My core belief about Taiwan's soft power strategy is that it emphasises the wrong story: the narratives of Taiwan's successful democratisation and its current position as the first Chinese democracy are routinely ignored in favour of attempts to label Taiwan as the preserver of traditional Chinese culture.