ABSTRACT
Introduction State and non-state actors have recognized the growing interdependence of the global economy and the considerable extent to which soft power and cultural diplomacy efforts help achieve their foreign policy objectives and agendas. Soft power stems from the power of attraction and co-optation, rather than coercion or payments usually associated with traditional instruments of hard power, such as military force or economic sanctions (Nye 1990, 2004). Nye postulates that soft power should be regarded as a foreign policy tool that enhances a state’s power to influence the behavior of other international actors, inducing them to ‘want’ what the dominant state ‘wants’ – primarily because of attractive cultural exports, political values and legitimate leadership. In latter iterations, Nye (2004) illuminates the three resources central to the deployment of soft power in international politics: “The soft power of a country rests primarily on three resources: its culture, in places where it is attractive to others; its political values, when it lives up to them at home and abroad; and its foreign policies, when they are seen as legitimate and having moral authority” (ibid., p. 12). These soft power resources comprise tangible elements and intangible attributes that inspire awe, admiration and attraction in other actors.
