Word: softly
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...other fronts. China has traditionally stood on the sidelines of major international gatherings of political leaders, in keeping with the dictum of former leader Deng Xiaoping that the Chinese should "disguise their ambitions and hide their claws." As a result, Chinese economic clout now outweighs its diplomatic leverage and soft power. "China has been reluctant to be put in the traditional order," says Xingdong Chen, the chief China economist for BNP Paribas Securities. "Now they are building a new order, and China needs to take part in the rule building. If China stays away, it won't be part...
Chiongbian is withering about his famous opponent's chances this time around. "Although he is popular as a sportsman, it's very different being a politician," says Chiongbian, who soft-launched his campaign by celebrating his 61st birthday at his family's 2,718-acre (1,100 hectare) plantation near Kiamba. "Tiger Woods is the No. 1 golfer, but he can't be, let's say, a race-car driver. We have our limitations and our skills." He believes Pacquiao's popularity plays against him: many voters don't want their national hero dirtying his hands in politics. "People like...
Your article notes that Europeans have learned that the force of arms rarely settles political disputes for long. But it does not note that Europe spreads beyond E.U. borders. The Council of Europe encompasses some 800 million citizens, unified by a vision of human rights. Call it soft power if you like, but it exerts a strong and fruitful influence in every member state, from Russia to Turkey, to Iceland and Italy...
...control federal bureaucracy -- all the ranchers fed up with land- and water-use policies, all the loggers who feel besieged by environmentalists, all the underemployed who blame their plight on NAFTA and GATT -- then the count soars upwards of 12 million. "People are drawn in under this soft umbrella of anger at the government and soon taken into the more violent part of the movement if they continue to express interest," says Mary Ann Mauney of the Atlanta-based Center for Democratic Renewal, which monitors hate groups...
...this weekend, with a total gross of $25.6 million), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (in fifth place, with $35.8 million). Indeed, several of the guys in the other new wide release, Hot Tub Time Machine, fit the underachieving mold. The lurid, inspired title aside, fans of late-night soft-core woo-pitching will be disappointed to learn that the four people in the hot tub at the beginning of the film are all guys, three of them middle-aged. The movie has plenty of gross-out gags, mandatory for an R-rated comedy, but with John Cusack...