Critical Analysis on “Soft Power and [Global] Politics” V

[Continued from IV]

Conclusive Remarks: A Constructive Suggestion to the “Soft Power” Concept

According to what this paper has critically argued and explored so far, Nye’s “soft, attractive and smart” language seems already have “successfully” penetrated many minds and hearts of the world including many Chinese. In fact, as already fully discussed, Nye’s conceptualization of soft power is not a new creation. Of course, the word “soft power” itself is new.

However, its core contents of colonial or hegemonic power are still very much same as always. Also as already argued, the “Soft Power” concept, in fact, has since 1492 continually existed within its ever-existing and evermore growing “imperial ambitions” throughout American History!

Even before I do today, I am so sure a number of other scholars and experts might have already challenged and questioned credibility, validity, and justification of Nye’s concepts and languages.

For I doubt if Nye could have only enjoyed praises, but not with critiques since his first mentioning of this soft power concept in 1990. It seems hardly so!

Therefore, if Nye seriously wishes to earn world’s genuine respect and trust in America’s relations to the ever-changing global politics, then first and foremost its centuries-old attitudes, tactics and languages must be changed!

Their usual self-righteous like Crusade mentality, arrogant, hypocritical, condescending, paternalistic, and in most cases always-blaming- (or finger-pointing) Others attitudes must be discarded once for all! When their words become true to what they say, only then, truly harmonious, symbiotic (or co-prosperous) and cooperative international relations finally may arrive!

Otherwise, it’s hardly imaginable if world’s majority Others would ever be able to relate to America in genuine, respectful, and truthful manners. Like the past, world’s majority Others either reluctantly follow or join US by its pressures, “coercions, payments” or, so-called “carrots” (Nye’s language).

Or many dependent, small and weaker nations, without many other options, may continue to be deceived, dismissed, disrespected, fooled around, pushed or threatened by “an international Pariah” (Chomsky language).

Or, as in the past, “much weaker nations” like Grenada, Panama, Nicaragua in the past, Afganistan and Iraq present were “preventively”[52] “crushed,” “regime-changed” or “wiped out” by America’s “hard power,” (so-called “sticks”) “the most awesome military force in human history” (Chomsky language).

Then, as always, world’s majority Others would be continually skeptical, suspicious, or distrustful of the most disregarded, distrustful and disrespectful Superpower in history.

Or helpless countries like Somalia or groups like Al-Qaeda and the likes would “only increase the threats of terror … for revenge” America or for survival by any means necessary.

Or, as America reasonably worries, they may or could someday indeed introduce so-called “nuclear terrorism” into the world.

Or sovereign and independent nations like DPRK and Iran would have no other choice but to develop instead their own “weapons of mass destruction” including nuclear weapons for “deterrence or retaliation only,”[53] according to their own way of “self-defense and, if and when needed, offensive mechanism.”[54]

However, the “Cultural Diversity,“[55] globally regarded as a genuinely “attractive, soft, and smart” resource for the future, can serve the world a far better than the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), if these almost-immeasurably diverse cultures of humanity can be genuinely respected, honored and celebrated as they are for the benefits of all on Earth, regardless their cultural, ethnic, ideological, religious, linguistic and traditional differences.

This “new world of cultural diversity,” if it ever arrives, therefore, requires everybody and every nation should come forward with their genuine respect for and dialogue with others and openness toward the world of “harmony in diversity.” This new cultural diversity movement as a genuine soft power can certainly become a changing, encouraging, and saving agent to transform the world into a peaceful, harmonious and symbiotic future!

Then, in this respect, the “soft power,” if Nye would agree with, rather should be called and defined as humble power which is not “forcing, imposing or proselytizing my/our culture, religion, language, tradition, etc., over against Others, but rather humbly sharing those genuinely “soft and attractive” human resources with Others on equal and respectful terms.

Only then, I do believe, America could gain genuine trust and respect from the majority Others in the world! Only then, I am quite sure the whole humanity, as One Big Global Human Family on this planet, could dream together and be truly thankful for everybody’s wonderful future! 

ENDNOTES

[52] Ibid, p. 26, “… the Bush administration intends to its National Security Strategy, announced last September (2002), to be taken seriously. The message was that the Bush administration intends to rule the world by force, the one dimension in which it reigns supreme, and to do so permanently, removing any potential challenge it receives. That is the heart of the newly announced doctrine of ‘preventive war.’”

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