Joseph Nye is an outstanding analyst in the international relations field. His insights on the types of power and its implementation are widely studied all over the world. In “The Future of Power”, Nye provides a profound analysis of the concepts of power and tries to speculate upon its potential character in the twenty-first century.
In the first part of the book, Nye provides a critical distinction between various types of power. Whereas the difference between “soft” and “hard” powers seems to be clear from their names, the author focuses on the concept of “smart” power. The principal idea of the author is that neither “soft” nor “hard” power might be beneficial in case it is applied separately, without a reasonable balance. Therefore, the finite political goal of any government, according to Nye, resides in finding a consistent balance between the two powers in accordance with the initial resources that a particular country possesses. The relevant combination represents the “smart” power, the tool that the author assumes to be the most effective.1
Another critical assumption that Nye provides in his book resides in the fact that the “military” power is no longer persuasive. Thus, the author provides the example of the Afghan War where the implementation of the “military” power failed to complete the targeted tasks.2 The relevant assumption is widely supported by other analysts. Hence, Professor Ernest Wilson elucidates a similar problem in one of his articles. According to the professor, the changes in the global context decreased the demand for the “military” power significantly, and one is obliged to search for alternative solutions to resolve current political problems.3
One should, likewise, mention the crucial power prerequisites that Nye describes. From his perspective, it is economic growth that enables a country to develop different types of power and exercise them successfully. The author suggests that the “economic” power is likely to become one of the most efficient political tools in the nearest future. 4 The same idea might be found in Matlary’s article, where the analyst reflects upon the nature of sanctions, drawing a conclusion that all types of power will gradually transform into economic instruments.5
A considerable part of the book is devoted to prognostic speculations over the development of “cyber” power as the principal determinant of the security of a county’s sovereignty.6 One should note that the idea is not as innovative as the importance of the mass media instruments has been widely discussed by numerous analysts throughout the past decades.
Lastly, Nye focuses on the analysis of other countries applying different kinds of power. One might suggest the author’s general rhetoric is rather critical. Thus, he does not see any country that would make good use of the “soft” power that lets him suppose that the USA has all the chances to hold global leadership in perspective.7 The following position might be regarded as too judgmental in the framework of the global environment where every country finds its own approach to the employment of the “soft” power instrument. 8
On the whole, “The Future of Power” provides a concise analysis of the current world politics and the challenges it is apt to face. Nye’s systematic approach enables one to receive a precise idea of various types of power, strengths, and weaknesses as well as the ways of their implementation.
Works Cited
Mallory, Janne. “When Soft Power Turns Hard: Is an EU Strategic Culture Possible?” Security Dialogue 37.1 (2006): 105-121. Print.
Mingjiang, Li. ” China Debates Soft Power” Chinese Journal of International Politics 2.2 (2008): 287-308. Print.
Nye, Joseph. The Future of Power, New York, New York: PublicAffairs, 2011. Print.
Wilson, Ernest. “Hard Power, Soft Power, Smart Power.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 616.1 (2008): 110-124. Print.
Footnotes
- Nye 23.
- Nye 35.
- Wilson 119.
- Nye 80.
- Maltary 118.
- Nye 126.
- Nye 217.
- Mingjiang 301.