During the most violent years of the Iraq war, American commanders believed that neighboring Iran was behind insurgent attacks, as a way to keep the country unstable. As U.S. forces slowly depart Iraq, officials say Iran is moving toward a more soft-power approach, trying to influence politics, social services and the economy.

We may soon all become as familiar with the Chinese voice as we are with CNN and BBC. Last month one of China's largest state owned media, Xinhua News Agency, launched a 24-hour global English TV News channel. It's the strongest sign yet of China's determination to push its soft power and increase its influence worldwide.

India and Britain Thursday inked a cultural pact at the end of the two-day visit of British Prime Minister David Cameron, which will further increase academic and artistic exchanges between the two nations.

Every year for the past two decades, legions of young Americans have descended upon Japan to teach English. This government-sponsored charm offensive was launched to counter anti-Japan sentiment in the United States and has since grown into one of the country's most successful displays of soft power.

The dramatic expansion of Turkey's influence is more than just the product of a hyper-active foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu... Turkey is doing what the European Union stopped doing when it ran into trouble over its expansion. It is using its soft power effectively.

One legacy of the 9/11 attacks was a distortion of American policy: By the standards of history and cost-effectiveness, we are hugely overinvested in military tools and underinvested in education and diplomacy.

There is a lot of talk on Capitol Hill about "smart power" and "soft power" but when it comes to funding programs like the Peace Corps, lawmakers hesitate, or they do not understand how an extra $10 or $20 million dollars is transformative...