Despite its size, Indonesia is distinctly lacking in hard-power assets. The source of Indonesia’s influence is soft power, which it has used to create regional institutions such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to promote regional stability and pursue its key strategic objective of ensuring that Southeast Asia never fall under the hegemony of an outside power.

A promotional campaign urging visitors from the Gulf to visit Jordan appears to be paying off for the Hashemite Kingdom, whose hotels and attractions have been struggling with a drop in tourism from Europe and America. Jordan has been hoping to capitalize on its image of a relatively calm country amidst turbulent unrest to draw visitors.

Don’t be fooled, citizens of China: Newly arrived U.S. ambassador Gary Locke’s humble do-it-yourself demeanor is all part of a crafty neo-colonialist plot. Such at least is the message of a state media editorial that is making waves on the Chinese Internet. The response so far among Chinese Internet users: Bring it on.

Another week, another public round of warm applause for America’s new ambassador to China, Gary Locke. A senior official behaving as humbly as a normal human being is a breath of fresh air in China, where officials are widely reviled for the lavish lifestyles many of them enjoy, often paid for by corruption. The attention Locke has garnered is freighted with political significance

The war in Libya and the activities of three Africa-based Islamist groups have raised questions about whether Africom may be shifting from its initial posture of projecting soft power to one of managing a hot theater. However...while Africom's public affairs posture may now be in flux, the command's core mission of growing African capabilities to meet African security challenges has not changed.

Brazil may enjoy a cuddly image in Lima, thanks to its football and carnival, and its social-democratic economic model...Yet many Peruvians are asking whether they really want their country to be “Brazilianised”...It speaks to the might of Brazilian “soft power” – and the country’s huge gravitational pull on a continent where it accounts for half the landmass and its neighbours cannot help but spin into its orbit.

Soft power is more welcome in the world than hard power. In Afghanistan, Turkey is there with military power, but the Turkish military in Afghanistan acts more with soft power -- in the construction of mosques, schools, construction of roads, and that type of things.

With the globalization process deepening, the growth of public diplomacy not only meets the demand of opening up a new horizon of China’s foreign relations, but also meets the strategic needs of increasing China’s soft power and communications with other peoples in the world.