soft power

Jeju is the largest island off the south coast of the Korean Peninsula. Jeju Island has long been the country's favorite domestic holiday destination, thanks to its beautiful beaches, lush countryside and seaside hotels designed for rest and relaxation. [...] The island is also one of South Korea's best places for public diplomacy.

Portland, the strategic communications consultancy, has partnered with CPD to launch the 2017 Soft Power 30 index next month.

Headlines explore China's various public diplomacy initiatives to practice soft power.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has many women - in his Presidency. [...] Unlike his old man, President Uhuru has many women who, behind the scenes, are said to be the ‘soft power’ of his presidency. And more than ever before, these women hold crucial positions even as Uhuru bids for a second term in the do-or-die August 8 General Election.

President Emmanuel Macron’s mastery of public imagery, like that of Barack Obama, conceals a highly calculated, choreographed communications policy. [...] “For a president, everything is a story of symbols. He needs to have total control,” comments Albert-Alexis Galland, director of strategy with Kaolin.

The State Department and USAID are often conflated as parts of America’s “soft power” apparatus. And it’s true that in the broadest sense they seek to, as a joint mission statement puts it, “shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world, and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere.” But beyond that they are dissimilar in every important way: The tasks they perform, what they value, their operating principles and how they carry out their work are profoundly different.

EXPO 2017 guests will have a unique opportunity to explore the ancient culture of nomadic civilisation, as Ethno Auyl (which stands for Ethno Village), an unusual cultural complex, has opened in the capital’s suburbs.

Manga and anime are a good source of soft power for Japan. If creators and animators can find a way to not just appeal to the elite readership in foreign countries but also to the masses – which would entail translating the manga into local languages and incorporating local stories – then manga and anime can be a veritable bridge between Japan and the rest of the world.

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