To fill the vacuum, China and lately India were only eager to replace the U.S. as the main partner of Africa. And instead of their American counterparts and competitors, the method used by the two emerging powers was that of “soft power” rather than blunt military pressure.

For much of the past decade, "soft power" has been touted as a means for making foreign policy more effective by emphasizing enticement rather than coercion, conversation rather than conflict.

CHINA's ruling Communist Party has vowed to increase its "cultural soft power" as it launches itself into the final stage of a power struggle from which a decade of leaders will emerge next October.

A pair of giant pandas could be on their way to a zoo in the tsunami-affected area of Japan. The idea originated from correspondence between Premier Wen Jiabao and a Japanese girl he met during his visit to Miyagi prefecture in late May following the magnitude-9 quake and ensuing tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.

For much of the past decade, “soft power” has been touted as a means for making foreign policy more effective by emphasizing enticement rather than coercion, conversation rather than conflict. The concept has won applause, but putting it into practice has often been half-hearted...In an era in which revolutions rely more on social media than on machine guns, soft power will be ascendant.

The Turkish government also recognises the value of soft power, the idea that institutions and ideals are appealing to the outside world and should be emulated. The relative success of the political system, with Islamists in power in a genuinely popular and functioning democratic system, is a case in point.

China's leaders have agreed guidelines aimed at preserving "cultural security" and expanding Chinese soft power...Analysts say the meeting was largely aimed at strengthening the party's tight control over the media and the Internet. But...Xinhua said the meeting should be seen as a strong signal for China to do better in the cultural field, where it has been lagging.

"Cool Japan" hasn't succeeded in spreading Japanese pop music very far. AKB48 seems poised to change that. AKB48 isn't blazing a new path forward for Japanese culture; it's an extension of what has been selling but applied to music.