Public Diplomacy and Soft Power

Joseph S. Nye
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Joseph S. Nye: Harvard University

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 2008, vol. 616, issue 1, 94-109

Abstract: Soft power is the ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction rather than coercion or payment. A country's soft power rests on its resources of culture, values, and policies. A smart power strategy combines hard and soft power resources. Public diplomacy has a long history as a means of promoting a country's soft power and was essential in winning the cold war. The current struggle against transnational terrorism is a struggle to win hearts and minds, and the current overreliance on hard power alone is not the path to success. Public diplomacy is an important tool in the arsenal of smart power, but smart public diplomacy requires an understanding of the roles of credibility, self-criticism, and civil society in generating soft power.

Keywords: power; soft power; hard power; smart power; public diplomacy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (32)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:616:y:2008:i:1:p:94-109

DOI: 10.1177/0002716207311699

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