Joseh S. Nye, May 6, 2019, Project Syndicate; original article contains links
Nye image (not from article) from
Many in the current US administration argue that soft power does not matter much; countries cooperate out of self-interest. But this misses a crucial point: cooperation is a matter of degree, and the degree is affected by attraction or repulsion, not just weapons and sanctions.
CAMBRIDGE – US President Donald Trump’s administration has shown little interest in public diplomacy [JB emphasis]. And yet public diplomacy – a government’s efforts to communicate directly with other countries’ publics – is one of the key instruments policymakers use to generate soft power, and the current information revolution makes such instruments more important than ever.
Opinion polls and the Portland Soft Power 30 index show that American soft power has declined since the beginning of Trump’s term. Tweets can help to set the global agenda, but they do not produce soft power if they are not attr..