Soft Power and the Future of Us Foreign Policy

‘An insightful and comprehensive volume offering a timely analysis of current and future challenges of the soft power in shaping US foreign policy at a critical geopolitical juncture. A must-read for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of US foreign policy and its global implications.’
Corneliu Bjola, University of Oxford


‘Soft power is one of the most valuable strategic assets any nation can possess – a particular, but now eroding, feature of the United States. Restoring that power won’t be easy, but it’s essential, especially when global challenges demand collective solutions. This timely and compelling book of essential readings, introduced by Joseph Nye and edited by Hendrik Ohnesorge, lays out a comprehensive roadmap to do just that.’
Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group


‘Americans expect their nation and their government to express leadership in the world. The detailed and lucid essays in this volume explain why, in spite of all its travails, the US retains its No. 1 position in any serious ranking of the soft power of nations.’
David W. Ellwood, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Europe campus, Bologna, Italy

‘Bringing together leading voices from around the world, this important and timely book provides keen insights into the role of soft power in US foreign policy across a wide range of topics and crucial bilateral relations. It constitutes an essential compendium for all those eager to understand the importance and impact of soft power and different forms of diplomacy in an age of global power shifts.’
Wolfgang Ischinger, Ambassador (ret.), President of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference Foundation


‘Ever since Joseph Nye introduced his pioneering concept of soft vs. hard power it has been used worldwide by scholars and practitioners. This volume provides new insights into the erosion and revival of American soft power from the Trump to the Biden presidencies, into useful adaptations of the concept and its application to a number of specific issue areas of America’s external relations. The book is a most valuable contribution to International Relations theory and to the analysis of contemporary American foreign policy.’
Karl Kaiser, Harvard University

‘Can the US recover from the body blow to its soft power dealt by Trump’s “America First” approach and COVID policy failings? This timely volume offers a conditional “yes”, with astute analyses of US foreign policy, as well as useful contributions on specific topics including cybersecurity, counterterrorism, city diplomacy and cultural diplomacy.’
Cynthia P. Schneider, Ambassador (ret.), Georgetown University

‘A timely, vital volume on soft power and US foreign policy at a critical time in a world that is struggling with transformational challenges. The authors provide historical analysis and a future roadmap for utilizing soft power to bring about positive change.’
Tara D. Sonenshine, former US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

'The book’s most interesting debates focus on soft power as a facet of the U.S.-Chinese rivalry, which will increasingly hinge on both countries’ capacities to attract allies and partners.'
Foreign Affairs