Experts in Afghanistan say a softer line the Taliban is taking on issues like education and reconstruction projects is a tactical ploy to win broader popular support. A Taliban leader was recently quoted by Afghan media outlets as saying the movement was not opposed to education and would protect schools in areas they controlled.

In the context of the Libyan civil war and unfolding revolutions across the Arab region, Turkey is stepping up efforts to make its mark as a role model and diplomatic broker. EurActiv Turkey contributed to this article.

President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday said he wanted Taiwan to make “full use” of its soft power and to become a provider of humanitarian assistance, which is one element of soft power.

The administration of United States President Barack Obama has rebranded American foreign policy around the grand concept of "smart power", an expression which envelops great confidence if not self-satisfaction, and which, to a certain extent, presupposes a strategic dominance.

Last year, when China broke off military-to-military talks after the Obama administration’s long-expected sale of defensive arms to Taiwan, a high American official asked his Chinese counterpart why China reacted so strongly to something it had accepted in the past. The answer: “Because we were weak then and now we are strong.”

Blowing in the wind at the moment is the question of cultural diplomacy. Bob Dylan plays a gig in Beijing, then heads with his guitar to another of his nation's traditional enemies, Vietnam.

As we mourn all the deaths and suffering from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, and especially think of our numerous IMD alumni and friends who may have been affected, we also see that the tragedy provides an opportunity — even a responsibility — to draw broad lessons and look forward.

Asia's extraterrestrial ambitions have rocketed from nowhere in the 50 years since the first human space flight, with China shooting for the moon while India and Japan fuel up their own programmes.