Secretary of State Hillary Clinton surprised the Pakistani women by asking to see them, and squeezed in nearly 15 minutes for them last Friday. As the women lined up for a photo with Clinton, she sprung another surprise by suddenly stepping out of the line and talking to her “Amn-o-Nisa sisters.”

The Americans have 'Soft Power' in bucketloads and Coca Cola, for example, is a pre-eminent example of it. Its important that we bleep on the global radar because the world is as flat as it ever was and if you are not bleeping frankly you are not in the game.

For a Chinese government that seems bent on investing in soft power, these last few months have offered clear reminders that soft power cannot be bought. It must be earned.

Buoyed by its massive foreign exchange reserve, China has spent billions of dollars to boost its soft power. Direct Chinese television broadcasts and Confucius Institutes around the world are aimed at winning the world’s respect. But a series of political scandals showing a total lack of regard for China’s rule of law have punctured claims about the Chinese system’s superiority.

The Islamic Republic of Iran never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity," says Afshin Molavi... "Their handling of their 'soft power' in Iraq is a case in point. Their poll numbers are dwindling, and not only among Sunnis, but also among Shia. They are increasingly seen as heavy-handed and interfering.