Power
is the ability to influence the behavior of others to get the outcomes one
wants. This can be done through coerce by threats, induce them with payments or
through attraction and co-option. Soft power is the ability to get what you
want through attraction rather than coercion or payments. When you can get
others to admire your ideals and to want what you want, you do not have to
spend as much on sticks and carrots to move them in your direction. The U.S
government spends four hundred times more on hard power than on soft power.
Soft
power involves agenda setting, attraction and co-opt. Government policies at
home and abroad are another potential source of soft power. For example, in the
1950s racial segregation at home undercut American soft power in Africa. Much
of American soft power has been produced by Hollywood, Harvard, Microsoft, and
Michael Jordan. It is true that firms, universities, foundations, churches, and
other nongovernmental groups develop soft power of their own that may reinforce
or be at odds with official foreign policy goals. Credibility is an important source
of soft power.
The
author categorizes power into three types. This includes military power,
economic power and soft power. He further stresses that soft power is not a
constant, but something that varies by time and space. Stating culture as a
source of soft power, the author quotes Secretary of State Colin Power saying
that ‘I can think of no more valuable asset to our country than the friendship
of future world leaders who have been educated here.’ He further argues that
hard power created the stand-off of military containment, but soft power eroded
the Soviet system from within.
Regarding
the soft power of NGOs, the author says that the information revolution has greatly
enhanced it. NGOs and network organizations have soft-power resources and do
not hesitate to use them. The early efforts of soft-power resources can be observed
in France. In the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France promoted its culture.
One example is the creation of Alliance Francaise in 1883 for the promotion of French
language and literature. In Britain BBC was founded in 1922 which later broadcasted
in all major European languages. As far as the United States is concerned VOA
broadcasts in 53 languages to an estimated audience pf 91 million people (p.
104).
The
author mentions three dimensions of public diplomacy. First is daily
communication which involves explaining the context of domestic and foreign
policy decisions. Second, is strategic communication in which a set of simple
themes is developed, much like what occurs in a political or advertising campaign.
Third is the development of lasting relationships with key individuals over
many years through scholarships, exchanges, training, seminars, conferences,
and access to media channels.
The
author believes that the United States cannot meet the new threat identified in
the national security strategy without the cooperation of other countries. He
creates a need for learning how to better combine hard and soft power to meet
new challenges. He wants the budget of public diplomacy to be doubled. In the concluding
paragraph of the last chapter the author stresses that ‘America’s success will depend
upon our developing a deeper understanding of the role of soft power and
developing a better balance of hard and soft power in our foreign policy. That
will be smart power. We have done it before; we can do it again.’
Ney
emphasizes that soft power will help America deal with critical global issues
that require multilateral cooperation.
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