More: Soft Power
Diplomacy by Sport: the Tale of the Two Koreas
North Korea and South Korea have been recently engaged in negotiations for the first time in 2 years. This military crisis hotline has the...
The Lessons Qatar Should Learn from Its UN Fiasco
For two years, Qatar had been lobbying hard for its candidate, Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari, to become the next director general of the UN...
David and Goliath: How Qatar took on the world…and nearly won
To say that the Middle East is a region of instability would be an understatement. The ongoing violence in Syria & Iraq receives heavy...
China’s Image Campaign: Green on the Outside, Black on the Inside?
“Green mountains and clear water are as good as mountains of gold and silver,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping as he underscored his country’s...
Is Democracy in crisis?
Democracy is facing a challenge to sustain as a form of government in the contemporary world. In 2008 economic crisis played a role in...
The Gulf crisis: Fighting it out down and dirty
In the three-month old Gulf crisis, nothing is too expensive or too down and dirty when it comes to buying influence, garnering soft power,...
The Gulf crisis: A lesson in reputation management
Lurking below the surface of the Gulf crisis, are rival, yet troubled, attempts by Qatar and its detractors to use sports to boost soft...
Choosing ‘the better evil’? The contrast effect and the relative nature of soft power
It is an established article of faith in the discipline of international relations that in formulating their foreign policies, in selecting certain courses of...
Astana 2017: Kazakhstan’s City on a Hill
Kazakhstan, a country with immense oil wealth but relatively little global influence, has recently been trying to convert its wealth into influence. The successful...
Tools and tactics to engage Africa
Despite conflicts and instability in parts, Africa’s fast growth and development, at least during the past decade, has attracted external countries mainly from Asian...