Thus, one should not be very optimistic about the US ability to create effective linkages with the nascent civilian governments of the region, not even Turkey's. It is “INT'L 101” level knowledge that the main US weakness is public diplomacy.

Thus, Seoul fully recognizing the limits of its hard power, values the utility and significance of soft power. Over the years, it has harnessed its soft power resources in burnishing its image at regional and global fora.

The problem is not with the entertainment industry per se – Hollywood is one of America’s greatest exports to the world, a form of soft power as well as storytelling that can inspire hearts and minds.

With the world’s largest economy as well as its reserve currency, the most capable military, considerable cultural, scientific, and moral soft power, and many other strengths, America also has substantial opportunities. The United States has produced much of the technological innovation that is currently transforming the world...

For the first time, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India has initiated “The MEA Distinguished Lecture Series on India’s foreign policy.” Though Indian diplomats consistently speak at foreign university campuses and to think tanks around the world, this is the first time that MEA has undertaken such an exercise internally.

These would mainly entail concrete and transparent democratic improvements, as well as economic measures aimed at improving quality of life and opportunities for the general public. The United States could complement assistance by augmenting its public diplomacy, cultural outreach and educational exchanges.

...while the Turkish model of democracy has made Ankara very popular amongst the youth and Islamist movements from Sana’a to Tunis—who see Turkey’s democratic success as a potential path they wish to take—Turkey could soon be one of many voices in the region, notably Cairo, promoting different models of local democracy and their soft power will be tied to how many states adopt their model.