
Joseph Nye
Journal of Political Power
ABSTRACT
In this paper, I respond to the editors request that I look back on the concept of soft power that I first published in 1990. I describe my approach to power; explain the origins of the soft power concept in relation to the academic debates in international relations, and respond to several criticisms of the concept. I then discuss coercion and voluntarism illustrated by the concept of sharp power, and conclude by describing the evolution of the concept in relation to policy interests of several countries.
KEYWORDS: soft power hard power sharp power United States China Europe
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2158379X.2021.1879572