The Bomb Was Horrifying. The Alternatives Would Have Been Worse.
Historical records show that dropping atomic bombs was the least bad option.
List of Soft Power articles
![A man in sunglasses walks past a group of buildings.]()
A man in sunglasses walks past a group of buildings.
The Long Arm of China’s Overseas Influence Operations
Illegal police stations are just the tip of the iceberg.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jingping]()
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jingping
Russia and China Can’t Get Anyone to Like Them
Beijing and Moscow are failing to produce soft power. But do they really want it?
![An aircraft carrier is pictured in water, with the NYC skyline in the background.]()
An aircraft carrier is pictured in water, with the NYC skyline in the background.
Britain’s Hard-Power Ambitions Face Soft-Power Headwinds
Aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s role in the world faces changing tides.
![Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Yasir al-Rumayyan, head of the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, look on from the second tee prior to the LIV Golf Invitational-Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28.]()
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Yasir al-Rumayyan, head of the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, look on from the second tee prior to the LIV Golf Invitational-Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28.
The Battle for the Soul of Golf
A Saudi-sponsored tournament shows why China and other rising powers will struggle to replace established global institutions with their own.
![German Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz walks to a press conference in front of the White House in Washington, DC on April 19, 2018, after a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence.]()
German Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz walks to a press conference in front of the White House in Washington, DC on April 19, 2018, after a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence.
Olaf Scholz Is Coming to America on a Salvage Mission
The German chancellor has no choice but to focus on restoring his country’s damaged credibility.
![A pedestrian walks over a bridge in Belgrade as heavy fog and air pollution dominate the sky over the Serbian capital Belgrade on Jan. 16, 2020.]()
A pedestrian walks over a bridge in Belgrade as heavy fog and air pollution dominate the sky over the Serbian capital Belgrade on Jan. 16, 2020.
How Serbia Became China’s Dirty-Energy Dumping Ground
Belgrade is vital to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. But as China takes over old industrial sites, Serbian citizens are suffering the environmental consequences.
![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.]()
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.
Is Europe Any Good at Soft Power?
The increasingly aggressive authoritarianism of Belarus is an acute test of the EU’s diplomatic self-image.
![A Bharatiya Janata Party member wears a face mask at birthday celebrations for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai, India, on Sept. 16, 2020.]()
A Bharatiya Janata Party member wears a face mask at birthday celebrations for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai, India, on Sept. 16, 2020.
The End of Modi’s Global Dreams
India’s prime minister advanced a muscular foreign policy, but his mishandling of the pandemic is an embarrassing step back.
![A woman wearing a face mask holds a sign during a rally to raise awareness of anti-Asian violence near Chinatown in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 20.]()
A woman wearing a face mask holds a sign during a rally to raise awareness of anti-Asian violence near Chinatown in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 20.
Young People in China Are Losing Faith in the West
And that spells trouble for liberal democracy and Beijing’s relations with Washington.
![Clerics walk along a market street near the Fatima Masumeh shrine in Iran's holy city of Qom]()
Clerics walk along a market street near the Fatima Masumeh shrine in Iran's holy city of Qom
Iran Is Trying to Convert Syria to Shiism
Ten years after entering Syria’s civil war, Tehran is using religion to make its influence there permanent.
![An Emirati man wears a protective mask with the flags of the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 31, 2020.]()
An Emirati man wears a protective mask with the flags of the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 31, 2020.
Israel Is the Arab World’s New Soft Power
Arab countries are increasingly competing to deepen ties with their former enemy.
![Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he addresses a public meeting at Jerenga Pathar in Assam, India, on Jan. 23.]()
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he addresses a public meeting at Jerenga Pathar in Assam, India, on Jan. 23.
Modi Spent India’s Soft Power—and Got Little in Return
The prime minister has decided that international criticism is a price worth paying for pursuing his domestic agenda, but he shouldn’t be so sure.
![China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump review the Chinese honor guards during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.]()
China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump review the Chinese honor guards during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.
How Trump’s Assault on International Organizations Benefits Beijing
The United States was already fighting with China for influence at global organizations, but the pandemic made everything worse.
![Members of BTS attend the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards at Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan, on Dec. 4, 2019.]()
Members of BTS attend the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards at Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan, on Dec. 4, 2019.
China Backs Off From Fight With K-Pop Fans
South Korea’s soft power should be a model for Beijing.
![Paramilitary police march near the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, China.]()
Paramilitary police march near the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, China.
COVID-19 Might Not Change the World
Pandemics are not always transformative events. While some worrying preexisting trends could accelerate, it’s incorrect to assume that the coronavirus will end globalization, kill liberal democracy, or enhance China’s soft power.
![Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit look at an artic map of the world with the museum official Kasia Majewski at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario, Nov. 7, 2016.]()
Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit look at an artic map of the world with the museum official Kasia Majewski at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario, Nov. 7, 2016.
All Great-Power Politics Is Local
When it comes to building international power, there’s growing reason to think that foreign policy barely matters.
![U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres meets Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2018.]()
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres meets Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2018.
China’s Soft-Power Grab
Beijing is ramping up support for U.N. and a host of other international organizations, racking up more influence even as Washington is in headlong retreat.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Igor Sechin during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 1, 2019. Among the powerful businessmen and officials with whom Putin surrounds himself is Sechin, a former KGB agent in East Africa who worked as Putin’s secretary in the 1990s and is now the head of state-owned oil giant Rosneft. ALEXEI DRUZHININ/AFP via Getty Images]()
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Igor Sechin during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 1, 2019. Among the powerful businessmen and officials with whom Putin surrounds himself is Sechin, a former KGB agent in East Africa who worked as Putin’s secretary in the 1990s and is now the head of state-owned oil giant Rosneft. ALEXEI DRUZHININ/AFP via Getty Images
How Putin and the KGB Took Control of Russia—and Duped the West
An important new book details the carefully calculated rise of a modern-day tsar.
![Two members of the National Guard walk past at the World War II Memorial as protests against police brutality and racism take place]()
Two members of the National Guard walk past at the World War II Memorial as protests against police brutality and racism take place
It’s Not Just Trump. The World Worries America Is Broken.
Protests against police brutality and systemic racism highlight what is seen as the United States’ accelerated decline.
![Foreign Policy illustration]()
Foreign Policy illustration
No, the Coronavirus Will Not Change the Global Order
We should be skeptical toward claims that the pandemic changes everything. China won’t benefit, and the United States will remain preeminent.
The Long Arm of China’s Overseas Influence Operations
Illegal police stations are just the tip of the iceberg.
Russia and China Can’t Get Anyone to Like Them
Beijing and Moscow are failing to produce soft power. But do they really want it?
Britain’s Hard-Power Ambitions Face Soft-Power Headwinds
Aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s role in the world faces changing tides.
The Battle for the Soul of Golf
A Saudi-sponsored tournament shows why China and other rising powers will struggle to replace established global institutions with their own.
Olaf Scholz Is Coming to America on a Salvage Mission
The German chancellor has no choice but to focus on restoring his country’s damaged credibility.
How Serbia Became China’s Dirty-Energy Dumping Ground
Belgrade is vital to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. But as China takes over old industrial sites, Serbian citizens are suffering the environmental consequences.
Is Europe Any Good at Soft Power?
The increasingly aggressive authoritarianism of Belarus is an acute test of the EU’s diplomatic self-image.
The End of Modi’s Global Dreams
India’s prime minister advanced a muscular foreign policy, but his mishandling of the pandemic is an embarrassing step back.
Young People in China Are Losing Faith in the West
And that spells trouble for liberal democracy and Beijing’s relations with Washington.
Iran Is Trying to Convert Syria to Shiism
Ten years after entering Syria’s civil war, Tehran is using religion to make its influence there permanent.
Israel Is the Arab World’s New Soft Power
Arab countries are increasingly competing to deepen ties with their former enemy.
Modi Spent India’s Soft Power—and Got Little in Return
The prime minister has decided that international criticism is a price worth paying for pursuing his domestic agenda, but he shouldn’t be so sure.
How Trump’s Assault on International Organizations Benefits Beijing
The United States was already fighting with China for influence at global organizations, but the pandemic made everything worse.
China Backs Off From Fight With K-Pop Fans
South Korea’s soft power should be a model for Beijing.
COVID-19 Might Not Change the World
Pandemics are not always transformative events. While some worrying preexisting trends could accelerate, it’s incorrect to assume that the coronavirus will end globalization, kill liberal democracy, or enhance China’s soft power.
All Great-Power Politics Is Local
When it comes to building international power, there’s growing reason to think that foreign policy barely matters.
China’s Soft-Power Grab
Beijing is ramping up support for U.N. and a host of other international organizations, racking up more influence even as Washington is in headlong retreat.
How Putin and the KGB Took Control of Russia—and Duped the West
An important new book details the carefully calculated rise of a modern-day tsar.
It’s Not Just Trump. The World Worries America Is Broken.
Protests against police brutality and systemic racism highlight what is seen as the United States’ accelerated decline.
No, the Coronavirus Will Not Change the Global Order
We should be skeptical toward claims that the pandemic changes everything. China won’t benefit, and the United States will remain preeminent.
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