...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.

India's metropolitan youth are gung-ho about the country's future and that's largely because of their immense belief in themselves. According to a recent poll, on the issue of which is India's biggest strength, 61% overall picked youth power, 16% each opted for "emerging economy" and "democracy" and 7% for "soft power".

This past year offered fresh proof that the world we live in is ever dynamic and that there must be new ways to think about the role the U.S. will play in the world in the coming years. USIP’s Executive VP Tara Sonenshine shared her views on the state of the world, America’s role in it, and what USIP is doing on the ground to help build peace and stability.

An asymmetric world is rising in which leaderless protesters can oust their national leader; and where one of the smallest countries in the Middle East, Qatar, can become a key player by virtue of its soft power. To address the challenges, we need to consider: the power of the people, the power of cities, and the power of countries that are regional or sub-regional locomotives of social and economic progress.

The Chinese government, determined to build the country’s soft power by projecting a better image abroad through culture and to maintain control at home through censorship, is strongly supporting the local industry and restricting foreign rivals.

If Iran today has substantial soft power in the Middle East—as we believe it does—it has that power in no small part because it has picked winners rather than losers as its allies in key regional theaters.

Through more aggressive public diplomacy elements such as listening, cultural and educational exchange, advocacy, and broadcasting, Spain is in a good position to foster understanding and goodwill with its Latin American counterparts.