Opinion | Farewell to soft power
Summary
The article analyses the shift from US soft power to hard power under President Trump, highlighting geopolitical tensions involving Venezuela and Greenland and the decline of American institutional soft power.
Key Points
- The US under President Trump has shifted from soft power strategies to a more overt hard power and power politics approach.
- Institutions central to American soft power such as USAID and NED have been downsized or absorbed, reflecting a structural disinvestment.
- The US employs tactics described as 'cognitive warfare,' similar to those it has often criticized in Russia and China, exemplified in its stance over Greenland.
- This decline in American soft power risks accelerating the overall decline of US influence globally amid rising geopolitical challenges.
