authoritarian state

Does "sharp power" fall under the ranks of hard power or soft power, or is it just an "unsmart" mix? 

If the United States is no longer the enemy, why are ordinary Cubans still denied the right to peaceful protest, to a free press, to a public airing of their many grievances? [...] The barrage of propaganda coming out of Havana fails to reflect the business-like atmosphere of the public diplomacy.