Soft-Power Internationalism: Competing for Cultural Influence in the 21st-Century Global Order

Soft power is a statecraft capacity to get others to want what you want, emphasizing the magnetism of values, culture, and communication. It was coined in 1990 and has since been used by emerging powers to project their influence. This book is a global comparative history of how soft power came to define the interregnum between the celebration of global capitalism in the 1990s and the recent resurgence of nationalism and authoritarianism. It examines the genealogy of soft power in the Euro-Atlantic and its evolution in the hands of other states seeking to counter U.S. hegemony by nonmilitaristic means.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 11 May 2021
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The term "soft power" was introduced in 1990 to highlight a statecraft capability akin to military might and economic coercion, aiming to influence others to desire what one desires. It emphasized the allure of values, culture, and communication, promising a future where cultural institutions, development aid, public diplomacy, and trade policies replaced nuclear standoffs. Initially conceived as a vision for a United States-led liberal international order in the post-Cold War era, it quickly gained traction among emerging powers seeking to project their influence on the global stage.

This book explores a comprehensive global comparative history of how soft power emerged to shape the transition between the 1990s celebration of global capitalism and the recent resurgence of nationalism and authoritarianism. It brings together case studies from the European Union, China, Brazil, Turkey, and the United States, delving into the genealogy of soft power in the Euro-Atlantic and its evolution in the hands of other states seeking to challenge U.S. hegemony through non-militaristic means. Contributors provide detailed insights into how global and regional powers have devised innovative approaches to foreign policy, sometimes aimed at forging new solidarities beyond Western colonial legacies and other times driven by self-interested objectives. By offering a critical examination of soft power as both an intellectual project and a diplomatic practice, Soft-Power Internationalism offers fresh perspectives on the potential and limitations of a multilateral liberal global order.

Weight: 496g
Dimension: 152 x 226 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231195454