Editing Soft power (section)

=== Germany ===
The annual soft power rankings by ''Monocle'' magazine and the Institute for Government ranks 30 countries which "best attract favor from other nations through culture, sport, cuisine, design, diplomacy and beyond." ''Monocle'' magazine said: "[[Angela Merkel|Merkel]] may be painted as a stern taskmaster but it seems she has a softer side, or the country she leads does." It said Germany's rise as a soft power should not come as a surprise. "The country is traditionally excellent at pursuing its ideas, values and aims using diplomatic, cultural and economic tools," it said. "By quietly doing the simple things well it is a country that has become a global power and the rest of us can feel comfortable with that." Germans had been understandably wary about depicting a dominant image abroad, the magazine added, but it said that the country's rise should not make everyone else feel uncomfortable.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-11-21 |title=Germany tops world 'soft power' rankings |url=https://www.thelocal.de/20131121/germany-number-one-for-soft-power |access-date=2024-07-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Gerhard Schröder: 'Germany Can Only Lead Europe the Way Porcupines Mate'|newspaper=Der Spiegel|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/interview-former-german-chancellor-gerhard-schroeder-on-foreign-policy-a-891839.html|publisher=Spiegel Online International|access-date=30 July 2015|date=1 April 2013|archive-date=28 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928201741/http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/interview-former-german-chancellor-gerhard-schroeder-on-foreign-policy-a-891839.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Obama sets off on farewell trip to Europe in shadow of president-elect|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/14/barack-obama-faces-awkward-task-on-sad-farewell-visit-to-europe|access-date=14 November 2016|agency=Reuters|date=14 November 2016|quote=As the Americans see it, Merkel – and certainly not the vainglorious European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker – runs the EU. It is Merkel who negotiated the Minsk deal with Russia that defused the Ukraine crisis. She knows Vladimir Putin better than any other western leader does. It is Merkel who took the lead on Syrian refugees and the eurozone crisis.|archive-date=14 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114155053/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/14/barack-obama-faces-awkward-task-on-sad-farewell-visit-to-europe|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017, Germany had the eighth largest diplomatic network in the world.<ref name=":0" />