Soft power is about influencing others through attraction, not force or money. It comes from a country's culture, values, and policies. Combining hard and soft power is a smart strategy. Public diplomacy, like promoting a country's image, is key to this. In the fight against terrorism, winning hearts and minds is crucial. Relying only on force won't work. To succeed, we need smart power, which includes public diplomacy. This means being credible, self-critical, and involving civil society to build soft power.