Introduction: Soft Power, Public Diplomacy, and Democratization

Abstract

Among the stories told by the ancient Greek slave and sometime diplomat Aesop is a fable that neatly illuminates the nature of power. In the story the North Wind and the Sun argue as to who was more powerful and resolve to test their strength by competing to remove a cloak from a traveler. The North Wind blew his iciest blast but only succeeded in making the traveler wrap himself more tightly in his cloak, however, when the sun shone the traveler happily removed his cloak. This illustration of the power of friendly persuasion appealed to the ancients and their interpreters down the years. The debate is not theoretical. In our own world international actors regularly face the challenge of ideologically antithetical regimes—for democracies these are typically dictatorships—and wrestle with the best approach to promote change. Today that debate is often couched as a choice between hard and soft power.