Groups, agencies such as Amnesty International have the capacity to perform the role of soft power. Soft power functions well in democratic and transparent political systems. I am afraid to say that in systems such as Bahrain or others, soft power does not play a role in deciding policy.

Japan doesn’t have a particularly deep history in the Middle East, but its economic prosperity is closely tied to the region. Some 90 percent of Japan’s oil comes from the Middle East, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun, so it has a vested interest in promoting stability.

Four decades ago, the US Department of Defense created the Internet; today, by most accounts, the US remains the leading country in terms of its military and societal use. But greater dependence on networked computers and communication leaves the US more vulnerable to attack...

Walt Disney Co. said it would join an initiative to develop China's animation industry, marking the latest push by Hollywood to expand into the world's most populous country.

The outlook is uncertain for hundreds of support contractors, which toiled in obscurity before 9/11 and whose business grew rapidly over the past decade as military spending soared. Some might exit the market, while others are likely to return to their roots, working in peacekeeping operations and State Department soft-power initiatives.

China’s government has identified animation as a key area for development to boost the country’s global influence, or soft power. The success of DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda” franchise has sparked wide debate within China about why the country can’t leverage its culture as effectively as Hollywood.

The international chattering class has a label for these changes: American decline. The dots look so connectable: The financial crisis, say the pundits, comprehensively demonstrated the failure of "Anglo-Saxon" capitalism...Throw in the assertive new powers and there you have it—the portrait of America in decline.