smart power

Sanctions failed to achieve what dialogue, openness and cooperation, and examples of economic advancement – all forms of soft power – could and did instead.  So don’t count soft power out yet. It’s not dead.

December 25, 2014

The revelations about the United States' brutal torture program have damaged the country's best asset abroad.

President Obama could take a lesson in Congressional relations from his own top diplomat. Samantha Power, now a year on the job as the US ambassador to the United Nations, says she’s learned the value of investing in relationships with her counterparts from around the world. 

In this aspect the US ‘smart power’ strategy in its relationship with Pakistan is very important to understand. Pakistan is arguably the litmus test to evaluate if the new US agenda is moving in right direction.

In fact it may be that the distinction between "hard" and "soft" power may be morphing into a new concept put forward by Prof Nye, that of "smart power".

Thai 'soft power' is highly visible in Indonesia through every-day encounters such as consumer products, entertainment, fashions, food and fruits, to name but a few.  Somehow, Thai authorities who are promoting the country's smart power have no idea of utilising this popular and neutral medium. Na

September 16, 2014

Wrapping up an account of the Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy activism in its first hundred days in office, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj claimed last week that Indian diplomacy had moved into high gear with its “fast-track diplomacy”. The foreign ministry’s public diplomacy division has published a colorful booklet filled with photographic evidence of the government’s impressive global engagement in the past three months. 

Moving to end the Islamic State’s reign of terror in the Middle East, several nations are weighing hard-power, military options as well as soft-power propaganda tactics to dismantle the extremist army, discredit its ideology and discourage foreign recruits from its influence.

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