We’ve Forgotten What ‘Soft Power’ Is
Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January, there has been no shortage of liberal internationalists mourning the downfall of U.S. soft power. Trump’s moves to pull back ...
Tag: Soft Power
The Rise of Durian Diplomacy
The fruit’s scent announces its presence long before it comes into view. The aroma snakes down the lorongs, past the coffee houses and xian bing stalls of Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, ...
China’s Weak Passports Are Holding Back Its Soft Power
Welcome to Foreign Policy’s China Brief. The highlights this week: Chinese travelers celebrate a national holiday, a senior diplomat receives a big promotion, and youth unemployment numbers spike. National Holiday ...
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Leads the Wave Back to Korea
In 1999, a Beijing newspaper published the first known use of the word hallyu, or Korean Wave, describing the emerging popularity of Korean cultural products abroad. Prior to that time, ...
The Expedition That Launched a Century of Panda-Mania
On a sunny day last October, Bao Li and Qing Bao arrived at the National Zoo in Washington. A 19-hour trans-Pacific flight aboard a FedEx cargo jet had ferried the ...
Trump’s Attacks on Harvard Cause Alarm in China
Welcome to Foreign Policy’s China Brief. The highlights this week: Chinese students are caught up in Harvard University’s tussle with the Trump administration, China’s defense minister is skipping the premier Asian ...
How Much Power Does the Aga Khan Have, Really?
When international delegations attended the European Commission’s conference on Syria on March 17, Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini, or Aga Khan V, attended alongside them. Addressing the conference, he reiterated his community’s ...
Is American Soft Power Finished?
“Traditionally the test of a great power was its strength in war. Today, however, the definition of power is losing its emphasis on military force and conquest that marked earlier ...
Joseph Nye Was the Champion of a World That No Longer Exists
It is poignant yet perhaps fitting to mourn Joseph Nye, the distinguished international relations scholar, just as his life’s work championing U.S. leadership and liberal internationalism has run aground in ...
