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Applying Joseph Nye’s concept of ‘soft power’
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Joseph Nye Jr., a Harvard professor, coined the term “soft power,” which drew on the ideas of Bachrach and Baratz to develop his framework. The term gained currency in the 1990s and is now widely used in international affairs by analysts, scholars and statesmen.
In fact, “soft power” is the ability to persuade and convince through some of the values which mankind holds dear — democracy, art, culture, human rights, welfare, good governance and societal harmony. In other words, it is to disseminate ideas about “soft power,” thereby winning the hearts and minds of people in the age of information and technology.
Nye differentiates between two types of power. “Hard power” is “the ability to get others to act in ways that are contrary to their initial preferences and strategies,” while “soft power” is the ability to persuade “others to want the outcomes that you want,” particularly, “the ability to achieve goals through attraction rather than coercion.” Finally, he introduces “smart power” as the “balance between hard and soft power.”
China started using soft power, in the form of “Four Modernizations,” in the 1980s. It has stuck to the concept ever since. Contemporary Chinese policies are geared to soft power-related ideas and focus on use of cultural and economic resources for building a strong China.
According to the 2013 Monocle Soft Power Survey, Germany holds the top spot in soft power. This soft power is also reflected in some Southeastern and East Asian countries like China, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia. Gulf cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai and nations like Bahrain are following in the same pattern at different levels. Brazil in Latin America is also an illustrative example. China strikes as a strong example in reviving the old Silk route through OBOR.
The former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke of the need to enhance American soft power by increasing spending on civilian instruments of national security — diplomacy, strategic communications, foreign assistance, civic action, economic reconstruction and development.
The presence and use of soft power by a nation state gives it psychic confidence as it is then admired for certain traits. It raises its international image and profile and leads to enhanced interactions in international organizations and thus contributes to cultural, trade and other forms of cooperation. Hence, diplomacy becomes easier and more effective with the attainment of soft power.
However some key factors must be in place for soft power conversion — capital, political structure, social capital and social structure. Participatory systems are more inclined to use soft power but soft power can also be wielded not just by states but also by actors in international politics, such as NGOs and international institutions.
A country’s soft power rests on three resources: its culture (in places where it is attractive to others); political values (when it lives up to them at home and broad); and foreign policies (when others see them as legitimate). Examples can be cited like peacekeeping operations, development activities, foreign aid and disaster relief and rescue missions.
The use of soft power is as old as history. It is sometimes helpful in situations rather than resorting to mere hard power, that is, force and intimidation. Moreover, nations instead of acting unilaterally can act multilaterally and share the burden of the task.
Joseph Nye justifies the use of multilateralism in US foreign policy if it co-opts and enables others not to feel unduly threatened by the latter’s supremacy. Can Nye’s views survive in today’s America? Let’s not forget that interconnectivity, open trade and investment are essential for global development and political harmony.
The writer is Visiting Faculty at Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad and former Adviser COMSATS and President, Islamabad Policy Research Institute. Shanghai Daily condensed the article.
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