The decision by the International Football Federation (FIFA) to grant Qatar the world's most watched sporting event came as the crowning of a policy of "sports diplomacy" initiated nearly two decades ago. Its neighbors in the United Arab Emirates...are also involved in sports diplomacy. Sports diplomacy reaches European countries in the form of the purchase or sponsorship of top soccer teams.

...I think it's a very interesting question because the Chinese have opened these organizations called Confucius Institutes... And part of the agenda of the Confucius Institute is to push the learning of Chinese language. They have seen - and not unrelated to our previous questions - they have seen their development, especially their military growth, is scaring people.

Against the backdrop of a sputtering economy and a spate of scandals battering India's global image, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is in Washington today. The visit -- largely touted as a damage-control and public relations initiative -- will see the senior minister...reinforce the message that the Indian growth story is still robust and that the country remains an attractive investment destination.

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.