An Analysis of UN Peacekeeping as Pakistan’s Soft Power Asset

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ume Farwa ◽  
Ghazanfar Ali Garewal
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
International Community ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Hard Power ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
The People ◽  
Peacekeeping Missions

The power of attraction and admiration is soft power. Generally, it is perceived that hard power cannot generate soft power, but the protective role of military in humanitarian crises and conflicts negates this prevailing misperception by specifying their contexts and effective utilizations; hard power assets can be transformed into soft power resources. This paper argues that the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions are the source of soft power and Pakistan, being an active participant in this field, can utilize this asset for shaping the preferences of others. Overall, it did earn admiration from international community and managed to build its soft image abroad through peacekeeping missions. Pakistani blue helmets not only earned the admiration and appreciation of the people of the conflict-zones and earned praises, but from international community also. However, to what extent has the country utilized this asset of soft power to exercise its influence in the global arena remains debatable. Although Pakistan’s UN Peacekeeping missions have been an instrument of building the country’s soft image, it is publicized in a far less productive manner. Peacekeeping can be used as a means to enhance the country’s presence and the level of participation in both international and regional organizations. By effective application of soft power strategy in tandem with public diplomacy, Pakistan’s UN peacekeeping can provide the country with the platform where its narratives can be projected effectively and its influence can be exercised adroitly.

scholarly journals Identification of Nepal’s Soft Power

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 49-65
Author(s):  
Binod Khanda Timilsana
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Power Measurement ◽  
Power Indices ◽  
Political Values ◽  
Hard Power ◽  
Natural Beauty ◽  
The World ◽  
Foreign Policies

Soft power, according to Nye, is a particular power of attraction to a state based on the appeal of its culture, political values, and foreign policies (Nye Jr. 2004, p. 11, 2008, p. 96). In the changing paradigms of state powers from military strength, economic might, political power, technological competency to soft power endeavors, identification of own soft power is the process of measuring own strength. Hard power measures can be observed from out sides as well but soft power potentialities will not appear easily without systematic attempt to expose them in front of international actors. Hard power measurement is easy and more exact than soft power qualities. There are very limited academic attempts visible in identification of Nepal’s soft power. Great soft powers of the world are visible and measurable through soft power indices developed by different think tanks and research agencies. The soft power 30 and Global Soft Power Index are exemplary forums engaged in ranking states in terms of soft powers. Reputation, influence, political values, culture, foreign policies, enterprise, culture, digital, governance, engagements and education are the indicators of soft power. The newly explained taxonomy of soft power includes four subunits of soft power namely resources, instruments, receptions and outcomes. Buddhism is a powerful soft power resource of Nepal. Conflict resolution and peace process model of Nepal is another potential soft power. Culture, engagement in multilateral global and regional forum, natural beauty with the world is highest Mt. Everest, diasporic community of Nepal, social networks, public diplomacy and personal diplomacy are remarkable soft power properties of Nepal. Nonetheless, identification of Nepal’s soft power is in very preliminary phase.

scholarly journals Soft Power Rich, Public Diplomacy Poor: An Assessment of Taiwan's External Communications

2017 ◽  
Vol 232 ◽  
pp. 982-1001
Author(s):  
Gary Rawnsley
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Foreign Affairs ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Political Warfare ◽  
Cultural Themes ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
External Communications

AbstractAccepting that Taiwan has accumulated “soft power” since the introduction of democratic reforms in the late 1980s, this paper assesses Taiwan's external communications during Ma Ying-jeou's presidency and how its soft power resources have been exercised. Demonstrating the strategic turn from political warfare to public and cultural diplomacy, the paper begins with the premise that the priority must be to increase familiarity with Taiwan among foreign publics. It then argues that any assessment of external communications in the Ma administration must consider the impact of two key decisions: first, the dissolution of the Government Information Office and the transfer of its responsibilities for international communications to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a new Ministry of Culture, and second, the priority given to cultural themes in Taiwan's external communications.

6. Obama and smart power 1

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph S. Nye
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
American Foreign Policy ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Military Force ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
Global Information ◽  
Smart Power ◽  
Power Resources

This chapter examines Barack Obama’s foreign policy agenda. The Obama administration referred to its foreign policy as ‘smart power’, which combines soft and hard power resources in different contexts. In sending additional troops to Afghanistan, his use of military force in support of a no-fly zone in Libya, and his use of sanctions against Iran, Obama showed that he was not afraid to use the hard components of smart power. The chapter first considers power in a global information age before discussing soft power in U.S. foreign policy. It then explains how public diplomacy came to be incorporated into American foreign policy and concludes by highlighting problems in wielding soft power.

Interactions between hard and soft power: The institutional adaptation of international intellectual property protection to global power shifts

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 588-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Daßler ◽  
Andreas Kruck ◽  
Bernhard Zangl
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Power Transition ◽  
Hard Power ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Global Power ◽  
Emerging Powers

Prevailing power transition theories focus on hard sources of power to explain why international institutions do, or do not, adapt to shifts in the balance of power among their members. This article argues that, in the wake of such a shift in the balance between emerging and established powers, institutional adaptations depend on both their hard and soft power resources. Soft power matters for institutional adaptations because both emerging and established powers have to justify the use of hard power to their respective audiences. Whether emerging or established powers are able to use the hard power they have depends crucially on rhetorical resources, such as claims of legitimacy and their (transnational) societal resonance. We provide empirical support for our argument through an analysis of the adaptation of the Trade-Related Aspects of International Property Rights agreement and the adaptation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Emerging powers such as Brazil, India and South Africa were able to bring about institutional adaptations because they not only had the hard power to undermine the respective institutions, but could also build on civil society support that legitimized their demands or constrained established states’ use of hard power to fend off their demands.

scholarly journals Change and Continuity in China’s Soft Power Trajectory: From Mao Zedong’s “Peaceful Co-existence” to Xi Jinping’s “Chinese Dream”

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-130
Author(s):  
Jean S. Kang
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Authoritarian Regime ◽  
Coercive Measures ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Hard Power ◽  
Areas Of Concern ◽  
Developed Nations

China’s trajectory over recent years displays a shift in its public diplomacy from traditional coercive measures under hard power toward a combination of both hard and soft power. As soft power signifies the diplomatic ability of a nation to attract others by projecting its internal values and policies, China has taken significant steps within the course of its political history to transition from an isolated authoritarian regime into a more engaged global stakeholder. In addition to analyzing China’s soft power and obligations within a global context, an internal examination of China’s public diplomacy is also required as the nature of the regime often serves to limit its capabilities in further attracting global actors. As China remains an authoritarian regime, activities related to public diplomacy are largely reserved for the state actors, including officials and state-owned enterprises. Although China has successfully shifted more towards practicing soft power from traditional hard power, areas of concern remain regarding its development, including a lack of attractiveness towards developed nations and limited use of civil society. China’s diplomatic agenda includes identifying methods for extending its soft power towards developed and developing countries.

Ideas, Voice and Attraction

2021 ◽  
pp. 155-190
Author(s):  
Shaun Breslin
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Nation Branding ◽  
Political Marketing ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Hard Power ◽  
Chinese Leadership ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Specific Focus ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
The Way

The chapter outlines the evolution of interest in China in the importance of developing ‘soft power’ resources, and what this power was meant to achieve. It then draws a distinction between different dimensions of non-hard power resources, arguing that much of what is done by the Chinese leadership is best thought of as an exercise in nation branding or international political marketing. It is a state led project designed to create a preferred understanding of what China is and what it stands for, and to influence (or even control) the way that China is spoken about and debated in other countries. It also discusses the way in which the soft and the hard come together in the actions and preferences of Chinese consumers, and concludes with a discussion of Chinese ‘crisis diplomacy’, with a specific focus on what was done and said during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Public Diplomacy in Confl ict Zones:Military Information Operations Meet Political Counter-Insurgency

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan Potter ◽  
Daryl Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
First Century ◽  
Hard Power ◽  
Information Operations ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Foreign Ministries ◽  
Made In

AbstractThe case made in this article is threefold: that the resolution of conflicts in the twenty-first century will depend much more on the judicious use of soft rather than hard power; that the type of soft power exercised through public diplomacy will move increasingly from monologue to dialogue and collaboration; and that there is an increasing convergence of thinking both in defence departments and foreign ministries on the role of public diplomacy in resolving conflict in asymmetrical warfare. That convergence is expressed in this article's characterization of the 'guerrilla diplomat'.

Forcing the Common Good

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haluk Karadag
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Military Power ◽  
Hard Power ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Impact

Hard power, the unorthodox foreign policy mechanism, has emerged recently as a complex agency that uses military power to regulate diplomatic relations between military and civilian actors. Although national governments use hard power rather frequently to influence foreign public opinions, the field’s scholarship tends to downplay the role of military instruments in the development of public diplomacy. Almost all armed forces contribute to various public diplomacy efforts by applying basic tools, including humanitarian-relief operations and construction works, and international military education and training programs. This article analyzes these tools in the context of soft power and public diplomacy and demonstrates the impact of military power on public diplomacy. It also reconstructs the effective time frames of public diplomacy works of the military by introducing a novel pattern to understanding these works.

Transforming Zones of Exclusion to Zones of Inclusion? Local-Level UN Peacekeeping Deployments and Educational Attainment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryce W Reeder ◽  
Marc S Polizzi
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Exact Matching ◽  
Conflict Zones ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Higher Educational Attainment ◽  
Peacekeeping Missions

Abstract Higher educational attainment levels are associated with better public health outcomes, lower levels of income inequality, more participation in democratic instructions, and safer communities. Promoting education in war-torn societies can have an immediate impact in mitigating violence and play a significant role in preventing conflict recurrence. This study investigates UN peacekeeping missions’ role in this process, positing that UN deployments to locations experiencing armed conflict lead to higher levels of educational attainment by increasing local stability, incentivizing individuals to return to school while also making renewed investment worthwhile. Testing this logic using new data on local-level educational attainment across Africa from 2000 to 2014, this study finds that conflict zones where the UN maintained peacekeeping deployments saw an increase in educational attainment when compared to those that did not, a finding corroborated by coarsened exact matching. Maintaining a modest number of UN forces is shown to increase female attainment by at least 4.89 percent and reduce gender disparity by 5.13 percent, revealing the critical role UN peacekeeping plays in restoring education in the shadow of political violence.

Japan and the Middle East: An Overview

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-198
Author(s):  
Srabani Roy Choudhury
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
National Interest ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Community ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Hard Power ◽  
Conflict Situations

As an introduction to this special issue, this article examines the shaping of Japan’s foreign policy; looking at how Japan has risen to the demand of the international community to assume more responsibility in conflict situations, circumventing a pacifist constitution that it had been dealt with. It then explains relations between Middle East and Japan and shows how the latter has been balancing its national interest in order to conform to its alliance with the United States. With more Asian powers having stake in the Middle East, Japan has become proactive about its role in the region. However, with limited hard power options, Japan would have to concentrate on its soft power capabilities and on using its economic strength to mark its presence in the Middle East.

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