I do not believe you can successfully use the Turkish template or replicate the Anatolian model in Middle Eastern and North African countries, where anti-government protests are spreading rapidly and taking down authoritarian leaders who have failed to live up to the expectations of their people.

Ten members of Afghanistan's High Peace Council paid a four-day visit to Turkey this week, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. Led by its chairman, former president Burhanuddin Rabbani, the delegation met with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as with members of parliament's Turkey-Afghanistan Friendship Group.

For nearly 90 years, the BBC World Service has spoken to the world from its headquarters in Bush House on The Strand in London, but an air of despondency now fills its corridors. In that time, the World Service has given the UK a unique form of “soft power”, where the station’s “This is London” opening introduction to news bulletins has been regarded as a byword for accuracy and impartiality.

News.Az interviews Jonathan Powell, chief of staff to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair from 1994 to 2007.

Chinese foreign policy has not escaped the dramatic transformations in that key country in our region. The foreign policy of China has become more sophisticated and less dogmatic, characterized by its increasing reliance on soft power.

Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli Edelstein this week defended his project to send a group of young Israelis from different sectors of society to speak at North American campuses in a bid to improve Israel's image.

Over these long years Indians have perfected many cultural attributes that may be appealing to the rest of the world - what Joseph Nye likes to call 'soft power’. Some good examples of Indian soft power are Yoga, Bollywood, Ayurveda and the great Indian cuisine (including curry and chicken tikka).