The Ebb and Flow of Soft Power

Nye’s article on public diplomacy and soft power really resonates in its assessment of US efforts in this arena in recent years, and how our standing in the world has shifted in response to our foreign policy. Britain’s Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden was absolutely right when he stated that “good cultural propaganda cannot remedy the damage done by a bad foreign policy, but it is no exaggeration to say that even the best of diplomatic policies may fail if it neglects the task of interpretation and persuasion which modern conditions impose.” This is reflected in the decline of America’s soft power ever since the initiation of the unpopular war in Iraq and the debate over Guantanamo, leading to the perception of Americans as warmongers and self-righteous hypocrites. I felt the impact of these negative perceptions especially distressing while studying abroad in 2006. I viewed my daily interactions with locals as an opportunity to change perceptions of the US through fostering positive relations on an interpersonal level, but at the same time understood my classmates’ reservations about broadcasting our nationality for fear of the backlash. We found that telling people we were from California elicited a much more positive reaction than when we introduced ourselves as being American, which inevitably was met by a more aloof attitude. California elicited ideas about Hollywood and American pop culture, which was still generally well-liked, but the idea of America brought forth negative feelings because of its association with unpopular foreign policy. However, ever since Obama assumed office, his far-reaching popularity has led to an improved perception of Americans around the world, as popular sentiment shifted and Americans began to be regarded as being progressive for having elected a black president. These trends indeed demonstrate the inextricability of foreign policy and soft power, and its resulting impact on the effectiveness of public diplomacy.