Soft power: what it is, why it’s important, and the conditions for its effective use (original) (raw)
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The concept of power is central to the analyses of international relations, politics, society, economy as well as human life. Power could be regarded as the lifeblood of a social and political system. Power is multifaceted and, therefore, is hard to measure in concrete quantitative use of the term. It is of two basic types: hard and soft power. Nearly three decades ago, American political scientist Joseph Nye put forth the idea of soft power, a concept that caught fire and went on to define the post-Cold War era (Nye 1990). He asserts that soft power is the 'ability to affect others by attraction and persuasion rather than just coercion and payment' (Nye 2017, p. 17). A country's soft power comes from its civil society and culture rather than from the government. The conceptual definition of soft power offered by Nye is indeed precise, useful and also impactful. The state apparatus; especially the military, police, para-military, and border forces constitute the core of the hard power. The use of force is conceptually linked to hard power. Soft power and hard power are not mutually exclusive, and that soft power complements hard power. This current book entitled, Soft Power: The Forces of Attraction in International Relations by Hendrik W. Ohnesorge, Managing Assistant and Research Fellow at the Center for Global Studies/Chair in International Relations at the University of Bonn (Germany) is a new addition to the literature on the study of soft power. The book, originating from a doctoral dissertation, provides a detailed examination of the concept of soft power both from theoretical and empirical perspectives. It seeks 'to elucidate and elaborate on the concept of soft power in international relations' (p.1). In total, the book has five chapters. In chapter 1, the author illustrates the concept of soft power, its current state of research and importance of the study in light of the existent research gap. The author raises a number of pertinent questions, including:
Soft Power: theoretical framework and political foundations
Przegląd Europejski, 2020
Although 30 years have passed since it was first formulated by the American political scientist Joseph Nye Jr, experts in international relations still debate on the contribution that soft power can give in foreign policy. This article aims to analyse the epistemological framework of soft power since its elaboration over the years till now. The research delves into two essential angles of soft power. The former is the study on the relevance of the concept of soft power in the current political dynamics. The latter is the definition of the idea of soft power with a focus on the evolution of such an idea since it was formulated by Joseph Nye Jr. The academic debate around the concept of soft power can be summarised mostly around four points: (1) the definition of soft power, (2) the relationship between hard and soft power; (3) resources and behaviours generating soft power; (4) the actors involved, when we speak about soft power. In the political debate of the last few years, some political scientists and practitioners have raised doubts about relevance and effectiveness of soft power in the current international political dynamics. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, which is reshaping the global order, is demonstrating that deploying effective public diplomacy is still crucial in international relations.
E-IR, 2020
The irrelevance of Soft Power stems not from its theoretical dimension, but from a changing global landscape. The 21st century will be characterized by growing competition among three giants – China, India and the United States. To contend with this triumvirate, nations will create short-termed strategic alliances that will collectively bargain opposite the giants, or force their hands. These alliances will rest on shared interests, not shared values. In a world governed by increased competition, as opposed to cooperation, the practice of Soft Power will become secondary. The benefit of strategic alliances lies in their malleability. Unlike the Cold-War era, nations will not be bound to one giant. On the contrary, nations will collaborate with different giants towards different ends. National power will emanate from a nation’s status as a desirable member in strategic alliances. This desirability may rest on diverse resources ranging from economic stability to technological infrastructure and geographic location. Now is not the age of uni-polarity or bi-polarity. Now is the age of giants. And in this age, power will function differently, as explained in this article.
New Dimensions of Soft Power in the 21st Century
2023
Joseph S. Nye, who is considered one of the most influential scholars on the US politics, has attracted a great attention with his concept of "soft power" in the 1980s. Since then, the term of "soft power" has been used by many academics and politicians with different emphasis. Based on the claim that hard power elements are insufficient alone to reach the goals in modern age, the soft power theory needs to be reinterpreted with the addition of new dimensions in the 21st century. Now it is possible to discuss the use of soft power as a necessity, rather than just a preference for influencing different societies by creating admiration. The 21st century has brought up many new problems and practices to the international agenda. Although the pandemic Covid-19 is the most striking among them, the intertwining of regional wars and cooperations, global warming, environmental issues, migrations and terrorism have both changed the traditional ways of establishing relations between states and created global areas of struggle outside the states. Now the international community and the world public opinion have started to determine their admirable preferences based on the extent of support given to global cooperation and solidarity rather than strong armies or good movies. Using a literature review, this paper aims to draw attention to the new dimensions of soft power in the changing image of the 21st century.
Soft Power in International Relations
Soft Power in International Relations, 2020
The theoretical framework of Soft Power employed in the textbook is based on the theory by Joseph Nye concerning Soft Power, Hard Power, Smart Power, and Power Diffusion; together with Jessica Ludwig’s and Christopher Walker’s contribution to the creation of the term "Sharp Power” within the frames of this theory, in which, Russian and Chinese Soft Power were singled out as separate segments due to specific mechanisms and severe consequences associated with them. The anatomy of "Sharp Power” is less explored compared to the classic understanding of "Soft Power”. The conclusions made as a result of the analysis of Russian "Sharp Power” are mostly brief (e.g. Cold War methods have been revived) and fragmented (mainly concerning disseminating disinformation). In this textbook, we have attempted to specify elements of the Russian "Sharp Power” and outline three key features: the Soviet propaganda; capabilities and opportunities of dissemination of digital disinformation; and information operations. In addition to the theoretical part, the textbook encompasses the analysis of three cases: examples of Georgia, Ukraine, and Northern Macedonia.
Revising the soft power concept: what are the means and mechanisms of soft power?
The power of attraction (soft power), as developed by Joseph Nye, has been increasingly discussed in international relations literature and policy, yet soft power has not been fully utilized because of under‐specified tools and mechanisms by which soft power influences international actors. This article revises the concept of soft power by generating a continuum of power based on the tools useful for implementing different degrees of soft or hard power. In addition, the article describes two mechanisms through which soft power influences international actors, beginning the call for exploration of other such mechanisms. Reconceptualizing soft power in terms of objects that are controlled and utilized by policy‐makers, such as agenda‐setting and framing, provides us with more useful analytical variables to understand international relations and to provide policy recommendations.