Reviewed: 08 Mar 2024
By Joseph Nye
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's 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 national security strategy. Purely focusing too heavily on using military power to force other nations to do our will, without paying heed to our soft power is a mistake. It is soft power that will help us deal with critical global issues that require multilateral cooperation among states. This model also applies in the corporate world. Focusing purely on the hard arms of marketing and communication without understanding that fo that to be effective these messages must be planted in fertile solid is a mistake and will lead to wasted treasure and misspent efforts.
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