Defined by Joseph Nye as ‘the ability to attract people to our side without coercion’, the notion of soft power has acquired global currency and is routinely used in policy and academic literature, as well as in elite journalism. The capacity of nations to make themselves attractive in a globalizing marketplace of ideas has become an important aspect of contemporary international relations, as has been the goal of communicating a favorable image of a country or countering negative portrayals in an era of digital global flows. While Nye’s focus has been primarily on the United States, this talk will suggest that the concept of soft power needs to be broadened to encompass such reemerging ‘civilizational’ powers as China and India, arguing for the de-Americanization of the discourse on soft power.
