Philip Seib

SHANGHAI --- Zhao Qizeng, China's leading proponent of public diplomacy, wrote, "Culture is the soul and life of a nation." That concept is the driving force behind much of China's exercise of soft power, and other countries that deal with this superpower need to understand the value the Chinese place...

BEIJING -- During the 20 years since the demise of the Soviet Union, and after a unipolar moment for the United States, China has emerged as the newest superpower. All its predecessors at this exalted level, going back even before Rome, have established their positions by amassing formidable military strength....

Although democracy retains its allure, the Arab uprisings that began last year were about democracy primarily as simply a means to an end.

The real goal of those who took to the streets was to grasp a better future for themselves and their families. Having a...

One of the most significant factors shaping foreign visitors' opinions is the way they are received when entering the country. For advocates of U.S. public diplomacy, this is particularly important because of the value of having outsiders come to America to gain an appreciation of the freedoms and lifestyle enjoyed...

Since its founding in 1949, NATO has been a bastion of hard power -- first as an alliance arrayed against the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies, and more recently as a manifestation of Western muscle in conflicts such as Kosovo in 1999 and Libya in 2011. Coming off...

LONDON --- "Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam," the exhibition at the British Museum that has drawn more than 80,000 visitors since it opened in late January is a remarkable achievement. First, it is glitz-free, relying on its intellectual content rather than the son et...

"Cultural diplomacy" has a nice ring to it; it brings to mind folk singing, dances around the Maypole, children's finger-painting exhibitions, and other such feel-good exports that can make even global adversaries think kindly of each other, at least momentarily.

But cultural diplomacy can be much more...

During the 1930s, Britain faced the dark clouds of war that were again gathering over Europe. Part of its answer, in 1934, was to found the British Council, a cultural relations body set up to build trust with the people of other countries through the arts, education, English language and...

During the past several years, Chinese audiences have flocked to see American movies such as Kung-Fu Panda, much to the alarm of China's political leadership, which has recently made clear that it is not inclined to surrender any terrain on the global cultural battleground.

In an essay published...

For years, Hosni Mubarak and other Arab leaders relied on a straightforward mantra: "It's me or the Islamists." American presidents and other Western leaders shuddered at the word "Islamists" and embraced their thuggish allies. What could be worse than Islamists?

U.S. public diplomacy followed that pattern. Over the years, there...

Cultural diplomacy encompasses everything from training in modern dance to training in modern politics. At first glance, it seems a relatively non-threatening way to project identity and influence, but its impact can be profound. China's President Hu Jintao recently warned that "international hostile forces are intensifying the strategic plot of...

We Americans tend to take our presidential campaigns lightly. We see them as fodder for Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show, and we become so enamored with the incessant polling that we watch the candidates as if they were race horses approaching the finish line.

But...

While attending a meeting here recently, I referred to Mexico as a "major power." A government official said he was surprised. "We are a major power," he said, "but nobody knows that."

Mexico is the 11th largest nation in the world, with 114 million people. Its GDP...

DOHA -- When the Islamist Ennahda Party won 40 percent of the vote in Tunisia's first free election since the overthrow of Zine Abidine Ben Ali, the party's leader, Rachid Ghannouchi said, "We will continue this revolution to realize its aims of a free Tunisia, independent, developing, and...

DOHA --- On November 1, the Al Jazeera Network celebrated its 15th birthday with splendor - a party for about a thousand people attended by the Emir of Qatar, the young Yemeni woman who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize, and the mothers of Arab Spring martyrs Khaled Said and...

LONDON -- For much of the past decade, "soft power" has been touted as a means for making foreign policy more effective by emphasizing enticement rather than coercion, conversation rather than conflict. The concept has won applause, but putting it into practice has often been half-hearted, especially by nations that...

While the Arab political system is being rebuilt after this year's regional upheaval, Arab states should also look outward and consider how they wish to reposition themselves within the global community.

Although many non-Arab countries have developed elaborate public diplomacy programs directed toward the Arab world, most Arab...

Thirty years ago this month, the first cases of what was to become known as AIDS were diagnosed. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 25 million persons have died from AIDS. More than 60 million people have been infected, and in southern Africa alone there are 14 million...

Judith McHale's departure from her position as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs presents an opportunity not only to appraise her tenure, but also to consider the future direction of U.S. public diplomacy.

McHale's most valuable contribution may have been to structurally...

DUBAI -- Take a look at Barack Obama's 2009 speech in Cairo. It was beautifully written and radiated good intentions. The U.S. government relied heavily on new media tools to disseminate it throughout the Arab world and beyond. Arab opinion of Obama improved significantly, and then it...