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Introduction: The Soft Power of Hard States

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
AuthorMichael Barr,Valentina Feklyunina,Sarina Theys
Published date01 November 2015
DOI10.1111/1467-9256.12210
Date01 November 2015
Subject MatterArticle
Introduction: The Soft Power of Hard States
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P O L I T I C S : 2 0 1 5 V O L 3 5 ( 3 - 4 ) , 2 1 3 – 2 1 5
doi: 10.1111/1467-9256.12210
Introduction: The Soft Power of Hard States
Michael Barr, Valentina Feklyunina, and Sarina Theys
To what extent can authoritarian states wield soft power – the ability to shape the preferences
of others through attraction rather than coercion – in their relations with other international
actors? Over the past two decades authoritarian regimes across the world have increasingly
embraced the idea of soft power. Yet, as argued by Joseph Nye (2013), their efforts to harness
the ‘power of attraction’ are highly unlikely to bring any meaningful results. Looking at
China’s and Russia’s soft power initiatives, Nye suggests that Moscow and Beijing simply
‘don’t get’ what soft power is about. In his view, soft power, with its roots in a vibrant civil
society and an attractive political culture, is incompatible with authoritarian regimes.
Although Nye’s piece focused on China and Russia, his neo-liberal conceptualisation of soft
power is also applicable to authoritarian regimes in Africa and Latin America. In Nye’s view,
a country cannot successfully wield soft power until it unleashes the full talents of its civil
societies.
However, to what extent is this Western-centric understanding of soft power sufficient in our
attempts to investigate the ways in which non-democratic regimes engage with the idea of
soft power? Why do non-democratic states embrace the idea of soft power in the first place?
To what extent are they able to wield influence without resorting to violence or coercion?
What narratives do they employ in attempting to achieve their policy aims? Under what
conditions are the legitimacy and credibility of state led image campaigns contested?
These are some of the questions addressed in this Special Issue on ‘The Soft Power of Hard
States’. The issue focuses on three authoritarian states that have been particularly active in
their efforts to enhance...

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