Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics

This Is An Indispensable Book For Anyone Wondering What Sort Of Changes To Expect In U.S. Foreign Policy Should The Democrats Retake The White House Later This Year. Nyes Careful Analysis Of The Shortcomings Of Unilateralism And Reliance Solely On Military Power In Confronting The Threat Posed By Islamic Extremists Is Strong, All The More So Because It Is Virtually Devoid Of Partisanship. He Gives Credit To President Bush And His Neoconservative Advisers In Their Projection Of Hard Military And Economic Power. But He Shows How What He Casts As Their Blindness To The Significance Of Soft Power Seriously Undermines Hard Power. Soft Powerthe Ability To Get What You Want Through Attraction Rather Than Coercionis Cultivated Through Relations With Allies, Economic Assistance And Cultural Exchanges With Other Countries, Projecting A Sense That U.S. Behavior Corresponds With Rhetorical Support For Democracy And Human Rights And, More Generally, Maintaining Favorable Public Opinion And Credibility Abroad. The GoItAlone Approach, Nye Argues, Has Led To An Unprecedented Drop In Support For The U.S. Abroad, Which Leaves Us Scrambling To Rebuild Iraq Almost Singlehandedly, Overstretching Ourselves Militarily And Economically. It Also Hampers Efforts To Secure The Voluntary Cooperation Of Foreign Governments Essential To Dismantling Terrorist Cells Spread Throughout The Globe. The Answer, Nye Says, Lies In A Return To The Mix Of Soft And Hard Power That Cemented The Western Alliance And Won The Cold War. About The Author Joseph S. Nye , Jr., Dean Of The Kennedy School Of Government At Harvard University, Was Chairman Of The National Intelligence Council And Assistant Secretary Of Defence In The Clinton Administration. He Is The Author Of Several Books, Including The Paradox Of American Power: Why The WorldS Only Superpower CanT Go It Alone And Bound To Lead: The Changing Nature Of American Power.