Soft Power: The Means To Success In World Politics

Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power" in the late 1980s. It is now used frequently—and often incorrectly—by political leaders, editorial writers, and academics around the world. So what is soft power? Soft power lies in the ability to attract and persuade. Whereas hard power—the ability to coerce—grows out of a country's military or economic might, soft power arises from the attractiveness of a country's culture, political ideals, and policies.

Hard power remains crucial in a world of states trying to guard their independence and of non-state groups willing to turn to violence. It forms the core of the Bush administration's new national security strategy. But according to Nye, the neo-conservatives who advise the president are making a major miscalculation: They focus too heavily on using America's military power to force other nations to do our will, and they pay too little heed to our soft power. It is soft power that will help prevent terrorists from recruiting supporters from among the moderate majority. And it is soft power that will help us deal with critical global issues that require multilateral cooperation among states. That is why it is so essential that America better understands and applies our soft power. This book is our guide.

• The Future of Power
• The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)
• Is the American Century Over? (Global Futures)
• The Powers to Lead
• World Order
• Diplomacy (Touchstone Book)
• The New Public Diplomacy: Soft Power in International Relations (Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations)
• Toward a New Public Diplomacy: Redirecting U.S. Foreign Policy (Palgrave Macmillan Series in Global Public Diplomacy)
• Communicating with the World: U. S. Public Diplomacy Overseas (Martin F. Herz Series on United States Diplomacy)
• The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order