Power at the Global Level

What is power? Fundamentally, it refers to the ability to achieve what we want. For time immemorial, mankind’s lust for power has been unsatiable. In the past, wars were fought between empires. Today humans are entertained by feats of sheer power whether they be combat sports or weightlifting. In the realms of political philosophy, Machiavelli’s famous ‘Prince’ called for an authoritarian style of leadership perceiving power as the greatest factor to having a stable society. It is evident that throughout history, humanity has been irresistibly drawn to one constant pursuit: Power. To many of us wielding power has to do with material success, fame, strength and intelligence. More specifically, we will understand power in the sphere of politics and international affairs. Joseph Nye, an acclaimed political scientist, understood power on two levels – hard power and soft power. Hard power refers to the use of force and coercion to get states to oblige to demands. On the other hand, soft power refers to the use of influence to get others to have aligning interests and shared beliefs.

Hard Power
At the layman level, power is exercised when your parents ground you or punish you, taking away some privileges in hopes that you submit to their authority and obey them. When extrapolated, this is akin to hard power in global affairs where power is used to coerce states to do as the perpetrator wishes. The key metrics used to assess hard power are typically a nation's economic strength and military capabilities in comparison to other states within the international system. An outright use of hard power would be Hitler’s invasion of neighboring states in World War II to realise his ambitions of Lebensraum. Through the use of military might, he forcefully took down regimes and replaced them with German alternatives. Hard power can also be exercised via economic methods like sanctions and trade restrictions. This method is often used by countries with established economies like the USA and United Kingdom to compel others to follow their orders. During the US-China trade war, USA restricted the sale of advanced semiconductors to China. This move obstructed much of China’s technology industry as much of the world’s appliances today rely heavily on semiconductors and chips. Trump was able to do so because the semiconductor industry is essentially monopolized by a few countries with USA providing the essential technology to create them. Additionally, USA has also sanctioned North Korea and Iran for their ventures into nuclear weapons. In historical times, countries were fixated on hard power as they ramped up military capability in the form of fighter jets, navy warships and missiles. Today, violence is far less tolerated and with an increasingly interconnected global economy. However, does this mean that hard power is increasingly outdated?  

Soft Power
It can be conceived to be the ability to attract and be attractive to other international actors without coercive means. A country's ability to attract others is typically measured by its cultural influence, ideological appeal, and the strength of its institutional reputation. Considering our everyday lives, soft power can be seen in McDonald’s ability to brand itself as a family friendly fast-food chain. McDonald’s has a strong marketing presence and for most people, when they see a store, they feel a sense of familiarity which entices them to visit the store. It is this positive feeling that attracts people and has been a reason for McDonald’s widespread success. At the global sphere, American liberalism is a great example of soft power. After the cold war era, America had the world at its feet and proliferated liberalism wherever it wanted. Its success was impressive, and the zeitgeist was firmly democratic. However, American soft power started to break down when they became complacent and steered towards unilateralism. The consequences of their relentless promotion of liberal democracies began to unravel as uprising democracies failed and America resorted to violence to try and uphold democracy. Although no longer the dominant force in soft power, American influence continues to be felt across every corner of the globe. This example teaches us that soft power, or any form of power, is never a. constant. It is necessarily a variable and consistent efforts to upkeep power is paramount. 

Modern faces of power
Power is dynamic, it is many things but never stagnant. What was power yesterday, may not be power today. The instruments of power are everchanging and it is crucial that we ask ourselves – what does power look like today? Deepfakes, algorithms, electrical vehicles (EV) and artificial intelligence are common occurrences today, but how do they relate to power… The common theme lies in technology and its impacts. We must not ignore traditional facets of power like the state, the wealthy and the popular but those have been studied repeatedly. Today’s digital world opens up a new avenue for a power struggle. The EV market is one area where we may expect countries to try and build up soft power. China is a leading EV maker and is one of the fastest growing EV markets. With their heavy investments into EV technology coupled with large land space and a low cost of manufacturing, they have placed themselves at the apex of EV production. Chinese EV’s have also penetrated overseas market successfully, as countries in Europe, Southeast Asia and even America have seen a rise in Chinese EV’s. European car manufacturers are feeling the heat from the Chinese EV brands and recently the EU hiked tariffs on Chinese EV brands from 0.4% to 8%. Again, we can see how technological advancement can change the way countries battle for soft power. The EV industry is a subset of China’s greater plans – the Made in China 2025 initiative. China wants to really put Chinese products on the map, with special emphasis on the high-tech industries. This can be viewed as a investment in China’s soft power because it seeks to bolster China’s cultural reputation. With more high-quality Chinese products used around the world, people will come to see China as a ‘reliable’ brand. This strategy is not a novel one and can be seen in Japanese goods as well. Many around the world have faith in Japanese goods which gives them a sense of security when purchasing them. While the struggle for power is a constant, the modes through which power is fought for have changed drastically and will continue to change.

Blurred lines of power
Both hard and soft power have their merits but they may not always bear fruits. Like Roosevelt once said ‘speak softly and carry a big stick’, shows the necessity in the careful use of hard power and the introduction of soft power. American complacency and over reliance on hard power in Middle East has greatly diminished her influence and global standing. As the world now generally sees violence or wars as an unacceptable interaction between states, leaders cannot rely purely on military brute to get their way. Given the interconnectedness of today, countries enacting sanctions have to do so prudently so as to not disrupt the global supply chain. Lastly, the emergence of BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – as a rival to US-led global institutions also reduces the hegemon that the west once enjoyed. The BRICS still have a long way to taking down US-led hegemony, but they have proven that they are ready to provide an alternative leadership to the world. With such conditions, hard power may no longer be as useful as it once was.

Soft power on its own is relatively abstract, it is extremely subjective and can really be altered quickly. Appeal and attractiveness can diminish quickly if a more attractive and viral idea comes along. Moreover, deeply authoritarian countries can easily influence the minds through excessive control of the media and propaganda, leaving soft power futile. Soft power relies on a broadly accepted ideology or perception of a country to influence behavior, it is hard to cultivate and can fluctuate easily. 

 Smart power - combining hard and soft power
Also coined by Joseph Nye, the term smart power was his conception of how USA can ensure its dominance in the global order. Quite simply, he advised US administrations to effectively utilize both soft and hard power in their foreign policy to influence and attract where possible and come down hard when necessary. While this seems like a novel concept, Nye’s conception of smart power may not actually be anything different but a repositioning of his earlier terms. Fundamentally, he still relies on the usage of hard and soft power but explains that hard and soft power cannot be used independently. Instead, a country should aim to build up capacities in both forms of power and use them simultaneously to expand their reach. Amidst the battle for global dominance, China has done well in exploring this concept of soft power. While China has bolstered its military prowess, it has also made sure to appear culturally attractive. China has tried to spread its Confucian values around the world and with its MIC 2025 initiative, it shows China’s recognition of the importance of both hard and soft power.

Conclusion
At every level of human activity, power is a focal point. While the word power might seem ominous to some, power is what allows us to make decisions, carry out our duties and resist as humans. Understanding how power undergirds the global order is extremely vital in trying to comprehend the action of various statesmen. As we move further towards a bipolar world, we will expect to see greater expressions of power and should study how smaller states build up their own capacity to balance against larger powers.

Questions to consider
1.     How will US and China power dynamics play out on the international stage?

2.     Given the current conflicts, is the USA moving backsliding towards its usage of hard power?

3.     How might other smaller countries enforce their own power to balance against or bandwagon with these major powers?