Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power" in the late 1980s. It is now used frequently,and often incorrectly,by political leaders, editorial writers, and academics around the world. So what is soft power? Soft power lies in the ability to attract and persuade. Whereas hard power,the ability to coerce,grows out of a country's military or economic might, soft power arises from the attractiveness of…
This new edition of Michael H. Hunt's classic reinterpretation of American diplomatic history includes a preface that reflects on the personal experience and intellectual agenda behind the writing of the book, surveys the broad impact of the book's argument, and addresses the challenges to the thesis since the book's original publication. In the wake of 9/11 this interpretation is more pertinen…