Oct 15 - Soft / Hard Power

Key terms:

  • Power
  • sovereignty
  • Legitimacy
  • interdependence
  • Hard power, soft power, smart power
  • Hegemony
  • structural violence
  • ideology
  • Community
  • Negotiation
  • Infrastructure
  • rule of law
  • persuasion
  • unipolar
  • multipolar
  • bipolar
  • sanctions
  • tactically
  • aid

 

Hard power: achieving aims through force

Structural power: institutions that uphold power, exploit / suppress power of others, 

Military Power: armies, soldiers

Relational power: involves connection / diplomacy / trade / general relationship with another state, how that affects power

Social & cultural power: export that can give regional hegemony. Form of power in country may be based on culture

Cyber power: surveillance / internet to hold power in society

 

 

Theories of power:

  • Realism
    • Explaining world through idea of enacting force
    • persuade other state through military force / intimidation / sanctions / incentives rooted in force
  • Liberalism
    • popular after WW2
    • realpolitik - rose during cold war era
    • when cooperating less likely to engage in war
    • favors multilateral institution
    • international institutions, human law

^ 2 ideas of power that are umbrella terms. What we saw before are political ideologies, while these are world views.

“Hard power relies in force whereas soft power involves the use of persuasion, smart power is the combination of both of these tactics”

hard power works most effectively when environment of fear

 

 

Words in George W Bush to justify Hard power usage - March 19 2003

  • Striking
  • their ability to wage war
  • air / naval bases
  • deployment of combat units
  • share duty & honor to serve in defense
  • peace of troubled people, hope of displaced people
  • enemy will see
  • those liberated will see
  • no regard for rules of morality
  • atrocity
  • coalition will make efforts to protect innocents
  • only ambition is to remove a threat
  • for your sacrifice
  • the mercy of an outlaw regime
  • threatens with mass murder
  • meet now with coast guard now rather than soldiers on home front
  • must apply decisive force
  • accept nothing but victory
  • defend freedom, bring freedom to others

Obama June 4 2009 speech after war on terror. Employs more smart power

Pledged to repair relations. Obama in Cairo

  • stalemate
  • legitimate aspirations
  • compromise elusive
  • displacement
  • hostility & attacks
  • only resolution
  • for aspirations to meet
  • live in peace and security
  • Israel's / America's / Palestine's / World's interest
  • patience and dedication for the task
  • obligations
  • live up to responsibilities
  • resistance through violence and killing does not succeed
  • humiliation
  • violence didn't win equal rights
  • peaceful and determined insistence
  • violence is a dead end
    • not a sign of courage or power
  • rockets at sleeping children
  • moral authority is not claimed through this, though rather surrendered

Appears that violence is immoral, focusing on peaceful aspects

Soft power is more of a slow burn

 

Examples of soft power in the world (ex. Cultural exports, Education), that shape view of nation state

  • Entertainment - Movies / TV (anime, Hollywood, Bollywood)
  • Music (Sweden = Abba)
  • Sports (World Cup)
  • News stations (BBC, CNN)
    • can lend credibility to certain states over others
    •  
  • International nations - UN
  • Books
  • international education systems
  • transportations (airlines)
  • strikes
  • clothing
  • technology
    • Any other materials
  • Religion
  • Language
  • Political ideologies
  • Food
  •