[xnull6guest]

Washington believes, and there's probably some truth to it, that the ability to project soft power comes after, or at least in tandem with, hard power guarantees.

The US utilizes soft power all the time and is and has been heavily invested in soft power. But soft power taken too far looks like coups or staged dissent, and America's soft power can sometimes be powerful enough to look like - or actually be - this.

That is to say that the overuse of soft power, or perhaps just the clumsy wielding of it, also dilutes the brand.

The recent investment in Nepal is a great example of soft power done right (IMO).