Soft Power In Foreign Policy

The American foreign policy paradox is that the country is too powerful to be challenged by others but not powerful enough to achieve its goals by going at it alone. In a time where the international system is complex, the notion of the American hegemony can be dangerous. The U.S. is unparallel with its military power, but equal in terms of economic powers. Considering the increase in transnational communications, a unilateral foreign policy will fail to accomplish preserving its interests. Soft power enables the U.S. to achieve its goals through allies. Joseph Nye is one author interested in the resources that soft power offers for foreign policy. America can use its soft power by thinking about how it looks in terms of other countries. There

In order for American to be viewed more positively it needs to change the style of foreign policy to be more attentive to the view of others. Nye says one way to accomplish this is for America to increase its public diplomacy, to reach out to people generally. This could occur in the short, medium, and long term. In the short term, the U.S. will have to become more responsive to explaining and responding to current events. An example of this is to work more effectively with Arab media outlets. In the medium term, policymakers need to develop a better strategy to explain U.S. policies and trademark the country as a democratic nation. The most important is the long-term strategy that is develops a more open Middle Eastern society with cultural and educational relations . These are goals that will take time to see progress. To be effective, the U.S. must prioritize the use of soft power. The U.S. is a giant and others are bound to have certain suspicious about us. With the U.S., there is a love/hate relationship. People admire the U.S. for some things and hate the U.S. for other things. America must make policies that change the ratios that the love part is stronger than the fear