September 2007
The national identity of countries can shift radically and at a speed that leaves their inhabitants gasping. As the United States continues to suffer from low approval ratings all over the world, Paula Scher, one of the…
May 2010
Brazil is a nation on the up and on the diplomatic stage it is being listened to as never before. Its soft-power push is being masterminded by diplomats working in the Oscar Niemeyer-designed Foreign Ministry in Brasilia…
August 2012
The South Korean city of Yeosu is host to the three-month world Expo 2012. The fair aims to spread awareness about ocean life but most people show up for the entertainment, including national pavilions, robots, K-pop acts…
September 2009
The Jogos da Lusofonia may not have the same draw as the Commonwealth Games or attract the corporate sponsorship of the Olympics. But the gathering of the old Portuguese empire showed that no matter how tenuous the links…
January 2010
Tax incentives are all well and good but is that enough to make businesses want to move to your country? To discuss how culture and other intangible assets attract foreign investment, Monocle and the Singapore Economic…
December 2010
A small Finnish city that sits on the Arctic Circle called Rovaniemi has claimed Santa as its own. With a Disney-style theme park and the official Santa post office, Rovaniemi and Finland are banking on Santa's soft power…
November 2012
Monocle's third annual Soft Power Survey is an attempt to push the debate on where soft power comes from and how to use it. With current shifts in the global power balance, never has it been more relevant.
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