Soft power
Soft power.The Russian and Iranian presidents warn about the subversive effects of Western (especially American) soft power. Chinese President Hu also expresses concern about Western soft power, but says that China should use soft power to make friends and influence countries that have exploitable oil reservers.
Soft power is a concept that has been creeping into more and more news reports about international relations and comparative politics. Sometimes it gets referred to as "soft revolution."
The terms aren't brand new, but they are becoming common enough in journalistic accounts that it may be time to consciously include the concept in the comparative politics curriculum because it's so frequently being cited as a rationale for policy making.
"Soft power" appeared in an edited transcript of an interview with new RFE/RL president, Jeffrey Gedmin, conducted by Jan Sedmidubsky, Czech Radio 6, and aired on "Opinions And Arguments" on June 23, 2007.
"We are about democratic and liberal values, and we believe in soft power and in the art of persuasion. We believe that these ideas and values are universal in their application, and while each country, according to its own preferences, traditions, and culture, will choose its way, we do believe -- I believe -- that given a choice between dictatorship and freedom, most people on this planet will choose freedom."
This seems most relevant to international relations, but when leaders like Putin cite soft power as a reason for policy decisions like shutting down international NGOs, "soft power" becomes relevant for consideration in comparative politics.
To officially open the new school year here in Minnesota, while recognizing that some of you have been meeting with students for some time already, this is part one of a seven-part series on soft power.
Tomorrow, the origin of the terminology.
Labels: concepts, globalization, pedagogy, policy
posted by Ken Wedding @ 4:16 PM
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