Soft Power: origin and definition
Joseph S. Nye, Jr., writing in a 2003 International Herald Tribune op ed piece (excerpted below), offered the following ideas about soft power. His definition is in the second paragraph.
Nye is the dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and the author of the 2005 book, Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics. Paul McFedries at Word Spy, gives Nye credit for the first use of the term, "soft power," in a March 1990 article in The Atlantic, "The misleading metaphor of decline." Here's the IHT article: Propaganda Isn't the Way: Soft Power
"All's fair in love and war, but should the American military carry out secret propaganda missions in friendly nations as part of the war on terrorism? Recent disclosure of a proposed Pentagon directive that takes psychological aim at friends is bad news for American soft power.
"Soft power is the ability to get what you want by attracting and persuading others to adopt your goals. It differs from hard power, the ability to use the carrots and sticks of economic and military might to make others follow your will. Both hard and soft power are important in the war on terrorism, but attraction is much cheaper than coercion, and an asset that needs to be nourished.
"Attraction depends on credibility, something a Pentagon propaganda campaign would clearly lack....
"Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is reported to be deeply frustrated that the U.S. government has no coherent plan for molding public opinion worldwide...
"What can the government do? Soft power grows out of both U.S. culture and U.S. policies. From Hollywood to higher education, civil society does far more to present the United States to other peoples than the government does. Hollywood often portrays consumerism, sex and violence, but it also promotes values of individualism, upward mobility and freedom (including for women). These values make America attractive to many people overseas, but some fundamentalists see them as a threat...
"The U.S. government should not try to control exports of popular culture, but State Department cultural and exchange programs help to remind people of the noncommercial aspects of American values and culture. Similarly, government broadcasting to other countries that is evenhanded, open and informative helps to enhance American credibility and soft power in a way that propaganda never can...
"To the extent that America defines its national interests in ways congruent with others, and consults with them in formulating policies, it will improve the ratio of admiration to resentment...
"The lessons for those... who want to enhance America's soft power is that it will come... from greater sensitivity to the opinions of others in the formulation of policies. They should heed Teddy Roosevelt's advice. Now that we Americans have a big stick, we should learn to speak softly."
Labels: concepts, globalization, politics, theory
posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:06 AM
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