Draft:Positive soft power and negative soft power

Positive Soft Power and Negative Soft Power

‘Positive soft power’ is a concept in International Relations that relates to fostering an understanding of oneself (in nation-state terms) to the other. It promotes comprehension and helps in doing away with any misunderstanding that exists between nations and the people living within it. Better understanding fosters harmony and helps policymakers to predict what the other side is thinking or the way the other side would react in a certain situation. And thus, better decisions can be taken keeping in view all sensitivity and intentions.

Positive soft power is not about seeking to influence others behavior and getting them to do what you want them to do. Positive soft power generates awareness and perception of the self to the other. This becomes important, as it primarily helps in doing away with misperceptions, such as, Americans are not only about bullying in the international platform; Iranians are not only about nuclear weapons; China is not just about communism and etc. Such a definition of soft power, which does not beget into influence, may be defined as ‘positive Soft Power’.

The concept of ‘positive soft power’ has been coined by Dr. Amit Kumar Gupta, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, India. He additionally coined the concept of ‘negative soft power’ in his article titled, ‘Re-examining the Concept of Soft Power and Initiating a Debate on how to Define the Concept from the Negative and Positive Connotations’, where an attempt has been made to redefine the concept of ‘soft power’ as provided by Joseph S Nye Jr.

The author points out that when it comes to dealing with nation states in the present geo-political setting of the international system, positive soft power may sound very idealistic, and something out of the world to many. However, the historical uses and evidences of the use of positive soft power prove otherwise. The practice of positive soft power is an age old, time tested idea, which was applied successfully by fiefdoms, kingdoms, empires, and nation-states from time immemorial. The use of soft power then, was to ensure a better understanding, maintain friendship, learn from each other, increase trade and in the process civilizations and empires flourished. In fact, those civilizations and empires that were the best connected to the world flourished, than those inward looking civilizations. Thus, the use of soft power was never about “shaping the preference of others”, or getting the others to want what one wants, which according to the author maybe referred to as ‘negative soft power’.

‘Negative soft power’, which is juxtaposed to the concept of ‘positive soft power’, is principally, the adverse use of soft power, wherein, soft power is used as the best form of propaganda tool or as a tool for altering others behavior and make the others to want what you want, or as a tool to further ones foreign policy goals or to enhance its influence. The author argues, that the negative use of soft power ensures no leverage to nation states, but only ensures distrust, as all countries are aware of their sovereign status and do primarily act in accordance with their interest and convictions. In fact, in the manner the term soft power is defined by Joseph S. Nye Jr., clearly manifests the idea of ‘negative soft power’, as he defines, “soft power as the ability to get what you want through attraction ….”. Here, seeking to lead and changing others behavior has negative effects.