Is Soft Power Making a Comeback?

“The world has changed markedly in the more than three decades since political scientist Joseph S. Nye Jr. popularized the term ‘soft power’ in the pages of Foreign Policy,” J. Alex Tarquinio wrote last month. Yet, she continued, “many world leaders still reach for sports, language, food, music, and movies to advance their interests.”

As global powers—from China to Iran to Russia—ramp up their charm offensives, we thought we’d examine the tactics states are using, how effective these measures are, and what they might mean for the future of international relations.—Chloe Hadavas

Brigitte Macron, France’s first lady, looks at panda cub Yuan Meng, which was born at the Beauval zoo during its naming ceremony in Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher., France, on Dec. 4, 2017. Thibault Camus/AFP via Getty Images

Soft Power Is Making a Hard Return

Leaders are reaching for fellas and films as much as bullets and blockades, J. Alex Tarquinio writes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jingping attend a ceremony in Shanghai on May 20, 2014. Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images

Russia and China Can’t Get Anyone to Like Them

Beijing and Moscow are failing to produce soft power, Christopher Walker writes. But do they really want it?

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi walks through the 77th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sep. 21, 2022. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Iran’s Grand Strategy Has Fundamentally Shifted

Tehran has shifted to using carrots in the region—and reserving sticks for the United States and Israel, Kenneth M. Pollack writes.

A performer on stilts dressed in the colors of the flag of the European Union attends a “March for Europe” gathering to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which created the precursor to the European Union, on March 25, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Is Europe Any Good at Soft Power?

The increasingly aggressive authoritarianism of Belarus is an acute test of the EU’s diplomatic self-image, FP’s Caroline de Gruyter writes.

A dragon mascot is displayed outside a store as customers peruse Lunar New Year pudding in Manila’s Chinatown on Feb. 11, 2010.Jay Directo/AFP via Getty Images

China Can’t Catch a Break in Asian Public Opinion

Washington can benefit from Beijing’s soft-power failures, Zuri Linetsky writes.