Ideological and Political Origins of the J. S. Nye’s Concept of Soft Power

Abstract

The popular theory of soft power was created in the United States in the early 1990s by Joseph S. Nye, Jr. An American researcher with extensive practical experience in public administration described soft power as the ability to achieve what is desired in the international arena by attracting sympathy, rather than using pressure or bribery. The integration of the term «soft power» into scientific life for the first time turned the use of elements of cultural and ideological influence in the international relations into an effective tool for achieving geopolitical goals. Today any state that claims a certain status in world politics is simply obliged to have the soft power tools in its foreign policy strategy. At the same time the idea of strengthening its position in world politics through attractiveness is certainly not new. Long before the Nye’s concept appeared, different actors used mechanisms described by him. Over the centuries theoretical thought has also developed and evolved in this direction.