Nearly a year ago, as Japan struggled with the devastation wrought by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the United States military launched “Operation Tomodachi,” a major humanitarian aid mission, to help the Japanese government respond to the crisis.

Innovations are a source of soft power. At a time of an unprecedented economic recession, soft power fueled by innovations remains America's greatest competitive advantage...The US experience suggests the way China has transformed itself into a new superpower will not be possible without building up its soft power that provides fertile ground for innovative products.

“Would the world be more peaceful if women were in charge?”...Unless soft power is introduced into the power equation it is unlikely that things will change any time soon. The spreading of ideas, creating allies on all sides, building and enforcing a group’s influence in the most positive manner are of the essence.

What the United Kingdom can offer to India that other countries cannot, says the new British High Commissioner to India James Bevan, is the English language.Britain is providing English language training to a million Indian teachers, a programme that will indirectly reach a third of India’s population.

In this world, the United States will not use dicta or hegemon power to shape or control the world order. Instead, the United States has a more humble role with a soft-power advantage, and hence the superpower will not be at the center of global issues ...

APDS Blogger: Lisa Liberatore

Washington, D.C. is a city of politics, power, and ploy. As the first delegation of Public Diplomacy Masters students representing USC to visit D.C., 18 of us set out to navigate the role of PD and meet its practitioners in this influential city. Our excursion led us to three very significant U.S. bureaucracies: the Department of State, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.

It has been at least five years since Zhao Qizheng introduced public diplomacy to China at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body in China. However, this form of unofficial, cross-cultural communication faces a rather uncertain future with Zhao's retirement this year as CPPCC spokesman.

Turkey, the only democratic government in the region, is included among the countries that will be affected by developments in Syria. Trying to exert more influence in the region by means of its “soft power strategy” and economic ties, Turkey may leave this strategy behind and take bold action to protect its interests.