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LING1002: Lang, Soft Power & Cult Dipl

Essay 1
SR Dye, C Laval, Z Pettit

Course School/Level
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HU/UG
25.00%
12/12/2013

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What are the key challenges faced by states attempting to utilise soft
power in the 21st century?
It is now clear to citizens across the world that the political landscape has
changed completely over the last half century or so. A key issue that has faced
politicians is the changing nature of power in the 21 st century, and by extension
how it must be used effectively. The 20th century was marred by conflict, the fall
of the British Empire, a call for numerous countries to gain independence, and a
substantial increase in our weapons capabilities (namely nuclear technology). If
the latter is defined as hard power, soft power is the ability a nation has to
influence others without the military (Nye, 2004: 2). In the context of this essay,
focus will be on the major challenges that nations now face.
According to Joseph Nye, power has traditionally been discussed as a tangible
good, that nations possess through their ability to force countries to provide
them with resources as they see fit (2004: 3). However, this is not the only
definition of power, nor is it an exhaustive definition. In its most basic form, a
nation may only want to command another nation to bend to its will. The reality,
however, is that power always depends on the context in which the relationship
exists (Nye, 2004: 2).
Soft power is more persuasive, in its approach, than hard power. Nations may
gain influence over others without making threats of war, or financial incentives
and payments (Lundestad, 1986). This essentially involves a country doing
things to make themselves more attractive to others. An example of this is the
creation of a healthy economic environment, whereby businesses are
encouraged to thrive by low taxes and minimal government interference.
The hard power/soft power dichotomy itself poses a challenge to nations. The
question of whether gains in hard power will be met by a commensurate loss in
soft power is best explained using the Iraq War in 2003 (Nye, 2004: 16). The USA
is still a global superpower, in military terms, which the world community relies
on to tackle issues such as terrorism. The USA carries this world policeman role
as it has the hard power resources, but the countrys perception as a bully has
been tarnished indelibly due to its lack of legitimacy with the United Nations.
A key issue facing countries using soft power in the 21 st century is its impact on
the country itself, including on trade and tourism (British Council Report, 2012:
31). If outside nations and businesses are given any reason to distrust a given
country, then it is likely that the two parties will see a fall in economic activity. So
essentially, countries which trust each other, or have more in common, will see a
more fruitful trade relationship (ibid: 31). An example of this is the USAs trade
relationship with Mexico, compared to that between the USA and Cuba. Another
key issue is that such impacts of soft power on any given country are not
immediate. It may take many years for the effects of soft power to become clear

in addressing a global issue, such as viral epidemics (ibid: 31). This means soft
power may be a healthy substitute to hard power for some countries, and not
others.
Another key issue is that its resources dont always lie under the direct purview
of the government. This perceived lack of control over sites which affect a
countrys perception (e.g the arts industry, the publishing sector) make it more
difficult for a nation to realise its long term power objectives. The corollary of this
issue is also true, in that the efficacy of soft power relies on an accepting
audience. The USAs perception across the global community has changed
considerably since the country invaded another sovereign state, on just war
principles (Nye, 2004: 16). It may be fair to say that the world will no longer
tolerate this kind of overtly belligerent behaviour by the USA, and no soft power
resources can change that. On the other hand, this is not to say there wont or
cant be any improvements over time, nor does it imply that hard power has
suffered similarly.

Reference List
British Council (2013 Influence and Attraction BC: London
Nye, J. (2004) Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics, PublicAffairs,
New York