Soft Power in Central Asia

With a much-needed emphasis on context, the contributors offer perspectives on Russia’s regional advantages, China’s hurdles with Sinophobia and the occasional tone-deaf initiative from the US. Through the different case-studies the book also provides a refreshing appraisal of Joe Nye’s conception of soft power, questioning the hard power–soft power binary and expanding the concept of who can be a soft power actor.

* International Affairs *

Scholar Joseph Nye’s concept of soft power, indicating the role of persuasion over coercion in global politics, needs no introduction. The term has been part of common scholarly and diplomatic language since he first proposed the idea 30 years ago. However, before Soft Power in Central Asia, there were few book-length examinations of the phenomenon in the region. This edited volume does much to not only elucidate Nye’s thinking but also to explore the role of external powers in Central Asia and the ways that Central Asians balance those relationships. Chapters explore the many ways the US, Russia, China, the EU, Turkey, and Israel advance their interests and influence in Central Asia through secular and Islamic education, television, religion, and the promotion of values, to name but a few methods. Those chapters are followed by one each on Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The contributions fit together well, and because each chapter addresses Nye’s arguments independently, they could be read individually… [A] comprehensive index and useful bibliographies guide readers. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals.

* Choice Reviews *

This book offers culturally sensitive accounts of how soft power is perceived and treated in diverse social, political, and ideological environments. Unpacking how soft power influences Central Eurasia, this book is a great read for both those who accept it and those who question it.

-- Timur Dadabaev, University of Tsukuba

Nourzhanov and Peyrouse, leading a group of outstanding scholars, have produced a book that comprehensively examines the issue of soft power in Central Asia. As the editors note, this is a long-neglected topic, despite the fact that Central Asia is now a pivotal zone of intense and complex rivalries among various major and middle powers, both old and new. At a time when global power dynamics are in flux and a range of questions swirl around the future of Central Asia and its neighborhood, this book provides a detailed exploration of all these issues, and will be welcomed by anyone with an interest not only in international relations and soft power specifically, but also in middle power strategy, Central Asian politics, and development in the globalized world.

-- Matthew Gray, Waseda Univer