I love idyllic life, too.Originally Posted by Dexx
Religion certainly is a big cultural factor... but often not limited to specific countries or rather confined regions.
So it is hard to "use" it in the same way you use consumer goods or media.
Because soft power is about influencing many people - often on a low but broad level.. this can not be done with religion (anymore).
In the past it certainly was the case though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values.
So this is a controversial question.
Soft Power is influence on world culture. So by going by the title, I disagree with that terribly.
I would argue that the United States is the first soft power superpower:
-Everyone watches Hollywood
-Everyone wears blue jeans
-Everyone listens to American pop music
-Everyone eats McDonalds
-Everyone drinks Starbucks
-Everyone has seen a Ford car on the road
and most importantly,
-Everyone learns English; because America runs the business show, as seen above
The list goes on and on and on.
Granted, some cool movies come out of China, but they're still underground and don't even touch the American made movies on opening night. When I go around town, I don't see people wearing the latest fashion coming out of Shanghai (style mind you, not manufactured).
The article does make a fair point that China is developing infrastructure in the 3rd World on a grand scale. That would produce soft power influence. But when the residents of Luanda, Angola go see a movie, I don't think they go see a Chinese flick.
Are you a superpower if you finance a superpowers fleet?
China basically controls one of the cornerstones (production) of the entire world's economy. And people here are trying to harp on about Starbucks and 'cultural power' or whatever? lol
According to UN data, the U.S. is still the world top manufacturer. Obviously, China has the fastest growth, while U.S. share of global manufacturing has pretty much stabilize around 20% for the last few decades.
China lead the world in manufacturing back 1830 with about 30% of the global industrial output, who was the "superpower" back during that period.
Sorry, are you serious? It's a decline of about 33% in ten years.
Depends, I went by this:
It depends what you define as power, or specifically soft power. As far as manufacturing goes, China has that covered several fold. But cultural soft power, while it sounds silly on the surface, does have an effect. That's why it's called "soft" power; it's indirect and subtle. Hard power usually involves military hardware and money; stuff you can hurt another country with.
If future generations of Russia are more likely to cooperate with the United States because they grew up with Starbucks, blue jeans, and Hollywood movies, you can thank soft power.
Read first dammit! Do you know what soft power even is?
Economic production has nothing to do with soft power, unless its tied to soft power in a way (say, a movie about an industrial-themed age, like the upcoming The Great Gatsby film)
Doubt it much. Look at post Soviet countries like Ukraine. They are pretty much linked to Russian's bit by bit (let us exclude the main use of the language for a moment), yet look where "Soft power" got Russia? They should be a massive soft power, at least in the eastern world and in the Caucuses, yet all these post soviet countries are trying to be "different". Money talks and Bull**** walks. It will have nothing to do with eating McDonalds (gross) and drinking Starbucks.
So China
What are you gonna do with your new status as super power?
Lets invade the nearest country ala India.
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