soft power

Peter Frisch, a senior political analyst at the European External Action Service...recommended that the EU work with Arab nations to develop more solid tourism strategies, ensure that democratic leaders stay in power, use public diplomacy to talk to the people and reach out to them...

After decades of being banned by the Kremlin and decried for "distorting the human body", Henry Moore's abstracts, once called degenerate here, are now on display inside the very stronghold of power...We all know this exhibition is not just about art, but about diplomacy.

As Americans, we like to imagine our country as we think of ourselves: open-hearted and welcoming; efficient and practical; easygoing, above all...Whatever foreigners think of the American experiment, though, it’s unlikely the experience of crossing our border has made them think better of it.

The debate over the role of the international community in Syria is disheartening, dominated by skepticism about the ability of outsiders to have a positive impact. This stems from the fact that two main options – continuing to refrain from direct intervention or waging a fully fledged military campaign...

If the EU boasts of its reliance on "soft power," that is because it has no choice. Its head of foreign affairs, the British baroness Catherine Ashton, has been called "the world's highest-paid female politician," yet she remains anonymous and has no influence on world events whatsoever. Her position sums up everything that is wrong with the EU -- expensive but ineffective.

So what does digital diplomacy even mean? In short, it means a government putting out it’s foreign policy messages via social media channels, looking to engage in dialogue with the target countries. It’s not without some controversy and there are those who suggest it’s just a form of cultural export…

The CCP recently called for extra efforts to get Taiwan's youth into the China boat... In droves of surveys, the island's youth has stubbornly said they feel more Taiwanese than Chinese, and that Japan but not China is their favorite country. They say they would only consider moving to China to make more money, not because they think it's trendy or cool.

Despite its undoubted global prominence, China's onstage presentation remains amateurish, and even clumsy, according to some observers. The country's efforts in building so-called "soft power", a phrase coined by American scholar Joseph Nye, are defined as a doomed charm offensive, and its media are widely regarded as a government mouthpiece.

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