Turkish politicians exaggerate Turkey's hard and soft power, so much so that they sometimes do not refrain from chiding other states. In theory, a little bit of exaggerating is useful in guiding public attitudes to important issues.

But Turkey's inclusion in the NATO missile shield project, its balancing role in Iraq, ability to confront the Assad regime in Syria, growing economy and soft power will convince the White House that Ankara is an asset for US national security and other interests abroad.

The problem is not with the entertainment industry per se – Hollywood is one of America’s greatest exports to the world, a form of soft power as well as storytelling that can inspire hearts and minds.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei...summed up China's diplomatic achievements in 2011, and said China will adhere to the path of peaceful development...China safeguarded the security and rights of Chinese nationals... and carried out public and cultural diplomacy

Yue-Sai Kan reckons that the Miss Universe competition is as good a vehicle as any for China to project soft power...Kan has made a great effort in the past 20 years to modernize the image of China that is projected to the world, much of it through television.

As part of its public diplomacy exercise, China invited 500 Indian youth, who met Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of People on September 23. The youth delegation was led by India’s Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Ajay Maken.

It is nobody's case that India must mimic the West's position. Even so, as a society with much goodwill in the Middle East, where it is respected for its democracy and soft power and seen as an exemplar of a non-western modernity, India needs to be a presence in the region's new discourse.