Today’s article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “More Drones, Fewer Troops” looks at the policy behind the increasing use and reliance on drones, but it misses an essential point: unmanned warfare’s impact on public opinion and public diplomacy.

Monocle's annual survey on soft power - assessing the influence of nations in spheres including politics, diplomacy, business, culture and education - names Australia as the fifth-most influential nation in the world and singles out Mr Rudd's performance on the global stage in explaining its decision.

Colin Riodan, vice-chancellor of the University of Essex and chair of the UK Higher Education International and Europe Unit, said this was a “recognition that universities are a key element of soft power” and that they have an important role to play in diplomacy and promoting foreign trade.

A Europe that has seen 67 years of post-war peace makes for an inviting haven for the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, who went through a harrowing conflict in the 1990s. For them, entry into the EU is still, above all, a guarantee of security, stability, and peace. In this stricken corner of Europe, the EU’s soft power is very real.

For liberals hoping for perhaps a less militarist message and a focus on diplomacy and soft power rather than the use of force as lodestars of American power ... well, last night wasn't quite their evening. That whole "changing the mindset" of U.S. foreign policy that Obama talked about in 2008 may have to wait a few more years.

...economists and political scientists of the India Shining variety have often pitched the billion plus nation as a potential soft superpower . From the curry takeover of Britain to the global yoga industry to the Booker-winning skills of its literati -- every success story has been lauded to underline India's growing clout as a soft superpower.

As the Chinese lunar calendar ushered in the Year of the Dragon on Monday, Chinese artists and cultural delegations are staging various performances around the world. The year of the Dragon, marked by this ambitious and magical Asian icon, is to witness dramatic growth of Chinese culture on the international stage.