Soft power of the east

Traditionally, power has been the playing field of the realists. This is the reason why the concept was narrowly developed in international relations until the 70s and 80s. Basically, power was subsumed to discussions about weapons, resources and soldiers. These types of conceptualizations can be seen in Morgenthau’s and Waltz’s main writings. For example, when Morgenthau talked about power he did it by taking into consideration factors such as geography, resources, industrial capacity, military preparedness, population and national character. ¹ On his part, Waltz was concerned by the materialist understanding of power. One of the central elements of the international structure was the distribution of capabilities. Waltz did not pursue a more nuanced understanding of power in international relations, but solely a pragmatic one that emphasized armies, weapons and soldiers. ²