Japan, once the pride of Asia, might be economically weakening due to its long economic stagnation and the rapid rise of China in recent years. But, perhaps unnoticed, Japan has been emerging as a cultural powerhouse in Asia through its soft power projection.

Gains in civilian technologies offer a less-threatening way for the country...to recapture a leading role as a technological power. Having access to technology and being a science destination of choice “enhances China’s soft power for sure,”...The government backing and growth prospects also help lure and retain talent, especially people who have spent time overseas.

A representative of China's Human Rights Society told a public gathering of African officials that the West is unfairly maligning China's human records -- just as it unfairly maligned Michael Jackson, she said. The speech is a small (and, probably, uncoordinated) part of China's much larger effort to deploy soft power in Sub-Saharan Africa, where Chinese workers and firms are increasingly prevalent.

When America admits migrants, it is not diluting its own culture, but spreading its ideals across the world. No other country has such influence. The closest contender, the European Union, wields tremendous soft power by letting neighboring countries join, as fifteen (mostly Eastern European) states have since the end of the cold war.

Hard power concerns traditional power like military forces, whereas soft power covers cultural issues like mass entertainment, Peace Corps volunteers and institutions like the TPP and the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).

We know India’s military prowess but ignore its soft power: India has hosted the Asian Games twice, the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the Cricket World Cup in 2011 along with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Bollywood is the world’s largest film industry and in 2009 alone produced 2,961 films.

With constitutions in many countries being rewritten or reframed, there's a chance to enshrine those aspirations into law. The British Council has been working for many years with Middle Eastern partners to improve women's access to education and economic benefit...

A Chinese navy hospital ship called the Peace Ark has docked in Costa Rica, providing free medical care for local residents...Many analysts see China's goodwill mission as an attempt boost its "soft power" in a region in which it is increasingly economically active.