soft power — 9DASHLINE

Soft power through connectivity: How do China and the US compare?

Written by Daniele Carminati

China’s blend of ‘soft’ and economic strategies is arguably becoming one of the most pressing domains of competition with the US, and even includes connectivity initiatives towards other Western allies such as the EU and Japan.

Power Politics9DLJuly 5, 20239dashline, Soft power through connectivity: How do China and the US compare?, Daniele Carminati, China, US, China-US relations, trade, advanced technologies, strategic interests, geopolitical interests, Taiwan, Beijing, Russia, soft power, hard power, multifaceted competition, power of attraction, Joseph Nye, culture, foreign policy, values, domestic policies, foreign policymakers, interdependence, high-speed railways, advanced digital networks, ideology, foreign-policy narrative, Global South, developmental needs, soft-power strategies, liberal democratic values, human rights, David Shambaugh, Belt and Road Initiative, BRI, economic interdependence, developing countries, Chinese leaders, Chinese scholars, Chinese traditional culture, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, connectivity initiatives, domestic political issues, American Dream, South Korea, Hallyu, policy outcomes, sociocultural, US allies, Build Back Better World, B3W, EU, Global Getaway, Japan, Partnership for Quality Infrastructure, debt trap accusations, infrastructure boost, economic opportunities, Washington, Global Soft Power Index, UK, Germany, Russia-Ukraine war, pragmatism

Reflecting on Ardern: Don't confuse going slow with no change

Written by Dr Lucas Knotter

Now that Ardern has been replaced by Chris Hipkins as Aotearoa prime minister, it is unclear whether New Zealand’s foreign policy will change substantially.

Power Politics9DLMarch 28, 20239DashLine, Lucas Knotter, Reflecting on Ardern: confusing slow with no change, New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, 2020 New Zealand parliamentary elections, Jacinda Ardern’s premiership, Aotearoa, Aotearoa politics, general election in October 2023, radical incrementalism, NZ Labour Party, February 2022 Parliament Lawn protest, COVID-19, COVID-19 restrictions, anti-government sentiment, right-wing MPs, female prime minister, feminism, sexism, misogyny, New Zealand National Party, water management centralisation, New Zealand's international status, small state, minor power, Nicholas Ross Smith, Aotearoa’s ‘soft power’, soft power, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Vogue, celebrity, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, New Zealand’s foreign policy, US, China, alignment, middle ground, Indo-Pacific, Aotearoa’s ‘constructive ambiguity’, interlocutor, Pacific Islands, indigenous foreign policy, Anna Powles, Solomons-China security agreement, Chris Hipkins, Managed Isolation and Quarantine, crime, inequality, wealth disparities, climate policy, Emissions Reduction Plan, National Adaptation Plan, Max Rashbrooke, Helen Clark, John Key, both-sidesing, Zero Carbon Act, United Kingdom, United Nations, Reflecting on Ardern: Don't confuse going slow with no change

Seoul’s Indo-Pacific strategy will not make big waves in Southeast Asia

Written by Alessandro Vesprini and Matteo Piasentini

The best option for South Korea is to double down on diplomacy, economic ties, and military sales, as well as tighten the dialogue with like-minded middle powers in the region.

East Asia9DLFebruary 28, 20239dashline, Seoul’s Indo-Pacific strategy will not make big waves in Southeast Asia, Alessandro Vesprini, Matteo Piasentini, Seoul, south korea, Southeast Asia, 23rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ROK, ASEAN summit, ASEAN-ROK summit, Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region, Indo-Pacific, Yoon, Yoon Suk-yeol, rules-based order, New Southern Policy, Moon Jae-in, China, Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative, KASI, ASEAN Member States, ASMs, Indo-Pacific Strategy, rules-based international order, United States, US, Beijing, People, Prosperity, and Peace, NSP Plus, economic cooperation, bilateral relationships, principles of cooperation, Inclusiveness, Trust, and Reciprocity, building regional order, rule of law, human rights, non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, security cooperation, security and defence, Mekong-ROK, New Northern Policy, Pyongyang, strategic partnerships, multilateral trade deals, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Asia Power Index, ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific, AOIP, mechanisms of conflict management, 2022 ASEAN Summit, South China Sea, Global Pivotal Power, military capabilities, strategic constraints, security dialogue initiatives, autonomous foreign policy, US-China competition, North Korea, inter-Korean relations, soft power

BTS, military enlistment controversy, and lessons for Korea’s public diplomacy

Written by Nguyen Le

Miscalculated interventions from the government as in the case of BTS weaken South Korean soft power, social cohesion, and — even worse — personal rights (by instrumentalising humans as public diplomacy tools).

What is Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour about?

Written by Bec Strating

The IPE constitutes a form of ‘normative seapower’ through efforts to exert influence and shape perceptions within the crowded maritime marketplace of norms, ideas, and narratives.

Pacific9DLNovember 22, 20229DashLine, Bec Strating, What is Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour about?, Australian Defence Force (ADF), Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE), military, armed forces, navy, civilians, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, 2016 Defence White Paper, regional security partner, floating diplomacy, hard power, capabilities, soft power, IPE 2021, IPE 2019, COVID-19 pandemic, IPE 2020, regional defence diplomacy, Australia, normative seapower, interoperability, Asia, Pacific, HMAS Canberra, Straits of Malacca, Port Klang, fleet, Patong Beach, Phuket, Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), HMAS Adelaide, Royal Australian Navy, HMAS ANZAC, frigate, Sembawang Naval Base, flotilla, gunboat diplomacy, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)., AUSINDEX maritime exercise, Delhi, Indian Navy, Malabar exercises, Department of Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, air force, army, Defence Strategic Review, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs), United States