In the midst of the current global tumult, I decided to take an afternoon’s break and escort my young children to the local movie theater to watch the new animated feature film Rio. As the first brightly colored 3-D computer-generated images flashed up on the screen, I felt assured of at least ninety minutes’ respite from the so-called real world.

With the establishment of its first academic research center on public diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University and a well-publicized International Forum on Public Diplomacy in 2010, China has been taking some major steps forward as it tries to, in Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying’s words, “effectively present its image to other countries” and overcome a lack of experience “in handling relations with the media and the public in foreign countries”.  T

"The soft power of Taiwan's small- and medium-sized businesses comes from innovation, overseas market expansion and efficiency,: said Chiang. "Mainland China, meanwhile, has hard power such as a big labor force, and abundant land and resources."

Proposals to reorient European policy have come from the European Commission and..European External Action Service...through advocacy of a “Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity” and...to create a European Endowment for Democracy and a Civil Society Facility...

Some politicians, scholars and officials wishfully claim that co-operative activities such as ship visits, combined disaster-relief exercises or partnership against piracy will translate into wider strategic trust. But there is little sign this is happening.

The European Union proudly claims to be more than the sum of its 27 parts, with a collective wealth and influence that gives it elephant status in the global zoo...The “cradle of democracy” had recently cast off six years of military dictatorship. Spain and Portugal had been invited to join the club specifically to help consolidate their emerging democracies

After decades of absorbing North America’s cultural diplomacy, India is returning the favour, with Indian government officials announcing plans to locate North America’s first Indian Cultural Centre in Toronto.

Shortly before her resignation, the Marly Group penned a tribune accusing the government of bungling its handling of revolts in Egypt and Tunisia and claiming that a short-term and amateur approach to foreign policy was destroying French influence.