American Soft Power: Should Washington worry?

The Council on Foreign Relations has denounced the abrupt decline of American soft power. Countless newspapers have enumerated that America is losing its cultural dominance swiftly since the Trump presidency. This article is going to posit whether a superpower of the 21st century is really losing its soft power or, so we have been told by its competitors to tarnish its image at the international level. If it is really declining, then why do so many people still want to immigrate to America? Why is it that everyone wants to wear the American style? What does the United States provide that other countries do not? And most significantly, why is the U.S. still one of the world’s most admired countries and why is it seen as a lesser threat than China, Russia, or ISIS?

In 1990, Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye coined the term ‘’Soft Power’’ in his essay titled as ‘’Squandering the U.S. Soft Power Edge.’’ According to him, Soft power is the ability of a nation to persuade and influence other countries not with coercion, but through the attractiveness of its values, its culture, its institutions and its society. This attractiveness can be conveyed through various means, including popular culture, public and private diplomacy, how a nation’s leaders participate in multinational organizations and other forums, businesses’ actions abroad, and the gravitational pull of a nation’s economic strength. Ultimately, nations with the greatest soft power find that citizens of other countries aspire to share their values and institutions, and leaders of foreign countries view their policies as legitimate and want to follow their lead. As Nye put it: “If I can get you to want to do what I want, then I do not have to force you.”

The twenty-first century is the century of soft power, not hard power. Those days have passed when a country could become a superpower only on the basis of its hard power. Since the conclusion of World War II, the US has been adept in its use of soft power. Its companies, foundations, popular culture, universities, and religious institutions have moved mountains in terms of spreading American values and making the country look like an attractive partner without having to solely rely on military force to influence other countries’ behavior. America’s multi-faceted approach to project its power abroad allowed it to become the most powerful polity in human history. While the US pulled off major military feats by coming out victorious in conflicts such as World War I and World War II, in addition to outlasting the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the US success story is more than one of sheer military might.

It’s one of strong institutions and cultural norms that paved the way for some of the highest levels of human flourishing in history. American success was so great that many foreign nations have gone to great lengths to emulate it. Over the last 70 years, countless countries have made genuine attempts to become liberal democracies, embrace capitalism, and join multinational institutions that the US is at the helm of. Most of this transition did not occur through military power or raw coercion.

We often hear about how America’s cultural exports make it a “soft power superpower.” American culture is ubiquitous, and American products adorn the world’s shelves. Coca-Cola is the most popular drink in virtually every country. Apple inc. is an American company and its phones and laptops are used worldwide. People in most countries wear American-style clothing. American films dominate cinemas – even in China. China or Russia cannot match this, regardless of how much they try. But America’s appeal lies more than its consumer goods. The reason why the United States can be admired by so many different cultures and nations is because of the inherent liberalism that exists within its population. This is not “liberalism” in the left-right sense, but rather in the context of openness to diversity and tolerance of other cultures.

The United States is the world’s pre-eminent immigrant nation, welcoming more than 1 million new immigrants per year, and hosting generations of arrivals from every country on Earth. It invites the most students and tourists every year through different scholarships and cultural exchange programs. Its universities and libraries are among the world’s best institutions and it is the most favorable place for tourists. This diversity makes the United States an inherently tolerant nation, open to new ideas and ways of being from people all around the world. This liberalism is baked into the U.S. Constitution, which does not presuppose the dominance of any one group and instead promises freedom of religion and speech for all.

Compare to this to the uniformity and homogeneity of China, which is 92% ethnic Han, and where non-state sponsored religious activity is suppressed. Countries subject to Chinese economic investment and inflows of Chinese laborers cannot help but suspect that there is an ulterior motive in play, particularly for those countries that experienced European colonization. But when American firms show up – especially those with international subsidiaries run by Americans who are immigrants from the host country – the perception by the local population is vastly different. Openness to immigration is an essential component of the United States’ appeal: if everybody is welcome in America and can participate in its most successful corporations, then there is less reason to believe that the U.S. government is acting purely for the sake of harming a certain country’s interests. This plurality of ethnic groups also prevents the U.S. from being perceived as a homogenous impartial power bent on subjecting “others” to its will. By virtue of its peoples’ diversity of interests and cultures and its open economic system, America’s interests are other countries’ interests too, which is of tremendous value in maintaining the United States’ soft power.

It is estimated that China’s economy could overtake the U.S economy by 2030 and sooner it would become the superpower. But, in reality, it is not so easy. If someone asks me ‘’When will China rule the world?’’. I will reply; Maybe never. China must uphold the democratic standards that are the order of the day if it wants to surpass the United States. It must welcome the greatest number of immigrants, tourists, and international students. It must also need to promote its culture through cinema and academic institutions. If it does so, then it could start the next decade neck-and-neck with the U.S.—and then accelerate into the distance.