CPD and Pew Research Center on the Next Decade of Soft Power

The fundamental impact of globalization, societal changes and digital technology is reshaping the role and practice of soft power in international affairs. What are the new and future trends, and how will we experiment with new forms and shapes of soft power? The USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) joined Pew Research Center to host a special program that seeks to reflect on recent developments and examine the opportunities and challenges in soft power over the coming decade.

This program featured several leading experts who have contributed to a newly released special issue of the Hague Journal of Diplomacy, “Debating Public Diplomacy: Now and Next.” Edited by CPD Director Jay Wang and Jan Melissen of the Institute of Security and Global Affairs at Leiden University and the Clingendael Institute, both in The Hague, this collection of 12 essays by the field’s foremost thought leaders and emerging voices provides a much-needed update on our understanding of soft power and public diplomacy. It focuses on today’s most pressing public diplomacy challenges, including recent sharp power campaigns, the rise of populism, the politicization of diaspora relations, deep-rooted nation-state based perspectives on culture, and public diplomacy’s contribution to counterterrorism.

Speakers included:

• Jennifer Brinkerhoff, George Washington University
• Jan Melissen, Institute of Security and Global Affairs at Leiden University and the Clingendael Institute, both in The Hague
• Erik Nisbet, The Ohio State University
• Richard Wike, Pew Research Center
• Jay Wang, USC Center on Public Diplomacy
• Rhonda S. Zaharna, American University

WATCH

LOOK

LEARN

Below, please find Richard Wike's presentation, "Soft Power, Public Diplomacy, and Shifting Global Attitudes:"

Still looking for more content? Check out highlights from Twitter: #SoftPower and our Instagram Story.