The US and Economic Development - Essay Example

THE US AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - DOES SOFT POWER WORK CRITICALLY EVALUATE by The US and Economic Development-Does Soft Power Work Critically Evaluate "When you've got them by the balls the hearts and minds will follow" (Lyndon B Johnson) 1. Introduction During the days of the huge British Empire spanning the entire world; the most important power that a country could have was its military superiority over the other. European Countries with better equipped and well disciplined armies were able to subjugate African and Asian countries who had limited resources and a lesser equipped military. Those were the days of brute hard power. That era came to a conclusion with World War 2.The cold war between USA and USSR brought to limelight another important concept - soft power. This coupled with military power of these countries proved to be a very effective source in yielding huge influence on far off countries without the threat of war. With the end of Cold war and the dawn of globalisation - a new era had dawned upon us. This is the era when soft power has become much more important and crucial for a country then military power. Wars have become fewer and far between. War has a means of controlling other nations is almost considered as criminal by the international community now. Economic and diplomatic control - the cornerstones of yielding soft power by a nation have become much more important. Given this background, this essay critically evaluates whether soft power works taking the case of US, which is one the world's most powerful nation. This essay explores if US is well equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities that soft power presents and if it well equipped to influence other nations with the use of it's soft power. 2. Concept of Power According to Nye (2004.p1)1 "power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others to get the outcomes one wants". The concept of soft power has its origin in the late 1980s by Joseph Nye Jr. Soft power is defined as the ability to attract and persuade others thereby shaping their preferences and making them to do what you want. Hard power is the ability to make others what you want through inducement (Nye, 1990)2. On the one hand, it is argued that in many cases soft power works rather than hard power since it helps to get the desired outcomes without threats or force (Nye, 2004)3. Rather, it makes others to do what we want through co opting them .On the other hand, critics argue that imitation or attraction does not always necessarily lead to desirable outcomes(Cooper,2004)4.Four different definitions of power are given by Barrett et al(2001)5.These are the power inherent in an individual itself, ability to make others do what one wants, ability to control the contexts of people's interaction and structural power. In general, power can hence be defined as a kind of ability to influence or control others to make them what we want based on all these definitions. This influence is obtained either through inducement, which is defined as hard power or through attracting others, or shaping others preferences, which is defined as soft power. Hard power is often associated with military and economic strength while soft power is associated with the attractiveness of culture, institutions and information technologies (Windsor, 2000)6. Though economic strength is associated to hard power, it can be argued that economic wealth can also be used to attract others to get desired outcomes. Hence, it can be linked to soft power too. According to one viewpoint, only hard power gives US the powerful status (Cooper,2004)7 while the other viewpoint gives equal credit to soft power, which has worked well there (Fukuyama,2007)8. Moreover, the soft power index developed by Chicago Council obtains the soft power in US as high (USAPC Washington Report, 2008)9. The next sections critically evaluate this issue for US by examining the various dimensions of soft power in US. 3. Economic Dimension of Soft Power One main economic channel of soft power is through over the development assistance and FDI to the developing nations. These have helped USA to create dominance in the international community that has been translated into power. A typical example for the economic dimension of soft power acquired by US can be considered as the willingness of the US to open its domestic markets to foreign products at the time of cold war (Vuving,2009)10 .This has resulted in creating support in the international system to US to develop to a world power. Another main tool of soft power through the economic dimension is the transnational corporations whose branches are located in countries all over the world. These have played a major role in raising the power of US since 34 percent of these have their headquarters in US and this has resulted in creating a major role for US in global corporate strategy (Nye, 1990)11. In addition to the dominance of US over the transnational corporations all over the world, the country has gained dominance over many foreign corporations inside US. This also has resulted in a rise of power in US (Vuving, 2009)12. 4. Cultural Dimension of Soft Power It can be argued that the culture and language of US has been quite dominating and has attracted many others .This in turn gave them a dominating power over other countries. Based on this concept, global media is the main agent that has led to this dominance. Jan (2009)13 has shown that the global media is dominated by one single country the USA. The media industries like Hollywood industries and some studios are also dominated by the same country. Studies have shown that US has had the only global network for film distribution and exports films about seven times than the second largest exporter. This is based on the cultural imperialism theory which states that advanced nations dominate the global economic system while the third world nations remain at the periphery with little or no control over the economic and political development (Jan,2009)14. It is quite clear that the attractiveness of American culture has resulted in creating many immigrants to the country from all over the world, which is a great source of power to the country. This was mainly due to the openness of American culture to different ethnicities and the attraction towards American values of human rights and democracy. 5. Diplomatic Dimensions of Soft Power The diplomatic support gives a very direct channel of soft power by helping to create good image of a country to the international community and thereby influencing their behaviours. Three main dimensions of public diplomacy are identified(Nye,2004)15.They are day to day communications of domestic and foreign policy decisions, strategic communication and the development of lasting relationships with key individuals over many years through scholarships, exchanges, training, seminars, conferences, and access to media channels. 6. Human Capital Dimensions of Soft Power Soft power attracts the people to produce desirable outcomes through the resources associated with the co optive end while hard power resources associate with command behaviour (Nye, 1990)16. The main tool for the human capital dimension of soft power is the higher education resources. Large numbers of foreign students study in the American universities each year and the country exports American values in the minds of these students through the education system. These students in turn spread the ideas that they obtain to their home countries. These students include the relatives of children of many world leaders also which can be a valuable source of soft power for US. For example, studies show that many Chinese leaders have their children educated in America who can spread the values of the country .The organizations like Ford Foundation, Council of Learned Societies and Social Science Research Council worked with 110 Universities and colleges in America for the exchanges of students and faculty. For example, Alexander Yakovlev, who has become the head of a famous institute and Politburo member, was influenced by his studies under the political scientist David Truman at Columbia University in 1958 .Influenced by the studies; he spread the ideas in Soviet Union and became a main influence of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (Nye, 2004).17 7. Political Dimension of Soft Power One important tool for attracting others to produce desirable outcomes through the political ideals like democracy and human rights. Many foreign leaders have been attracted towards the American political ideals of democracy and human rights. For example, it was easier for America to obtain the use of bases in authoritarian Uzbekistan for operations in Afghanistan. At the same time, the less popularity of American ideals prevented the Turkish government to permit the transport of American troops across the country in 2003. 8. Soft versus Hard Power-Specific Examples The American policy in Iraq and Afghanistan are taken as specific examples to discuss the working of hard power versus soft power. 8.1. The American policy in Iraq On March 20, 2003 American forces in alliance with Britain invaded Iraq. America dominated Iraq with hard power through military and other bases. Studies show that the main intention of invading Iraq was to get dominance over the oil in Iraq and to dominate the Gulf region rich in oil. Many Iraqis were held without any charge or trial and reconstruction programs to support the country damaged by war resulted in massive corruption and fraud .Moreover, the conflict has resulted in erosion of Iraq's cultural heritage (Global Policy Forum, 2009)18. Thus, the invasion of Iraq by US is a clear example of hard power. The justifications of the use of hard power in Iraq include the possession of mass destruction weapons by Iraq and the need for transformative politics in Iraq due to the rapidly growing terrorism under the existing government there(Global policy forum,2009). However, these justifications have been widely criticized by many scholars including Fukuyama (2007)19. The use of hard power in Iraq has largely violated the American ideals of democracy and human rights. Instead of producing the desirable outcomes, it has resulted in widespread resistance from the public and imposed severe costs on the economic development of US too. 8.2. The American policy in Afghanistan Since the invasion of Soviet Union to Afghanistan in 1979, the nation has been mired in conflict and terrorism under Taliban The nation has received considerable help from US to get stabilized in the through foreign aid and other assistance for around 22 years. Further, with the help of US led war against terrorism, the present government has been set up in the country. Reports show that US has contributed a lot toward maintaining national security and law and order in Afghanistan and thus established power in the region to a great extent (Katzman, 2009)20. This is a clear example of the soft power gained by US. At the same time, some policy makers feel the need to send armed forces to Afghanistan like the operation held in Iraq in view of the deteriorating situation again in the nation in 2008.Their viewpoint is that the violence in Afghanistan can be completely stopped only by hard power (Cato Institute, 2009).21 How far this will be successful remains doubtful. 9. Shift from Hard Power to Soft Power in Afghanistan There is a lot of debate among people as to when should US shift from hard power to use of soft power in a land that it has occupied. In a rather unorthodox approach US military is shifting its focus in Afghanistan from bombs and bullet fights to persuading the people to fight against Taliban. General Stanley Chrystal has taken several steps in this direction. He is discouraging cordon and search raids, all but banning air strikes, directing troops to consider retreat rather than attacking a town (Shachtman, 2009)22."It's not the number of people you kill; it's the number of people you save."This has been the new philosophy being adopted by US military these days. The US military is trying to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan and increase the number of schools that they can open. Opening schools, building roads, attending local religious ceremonies by top US military leaders, educating the people about Taliban and the devastation that has been caused by them are some of the methods being utilized by US to increase its soft power in Afghanistan. The present US administration under the leadership of Barrack Osama is concentrating more on soft power than what was done by Bush Administration. He is also outing pressure on Europe to exert soft power in Afghanistan. Europe has recently started training the police force of Afghanistan to fight against Taliban.Obama has currently placed a lot of emphasis on reducing corruption rampant in all levels of government in Afghanistan. As reported in Washington times report - Obama is focusing on three major areas to exercise Us soft power in Afghanistan - reducing corruption in government at all levels , upgrading and training security forces including the Army and border guards and modernising the police force and making them well equipped to take care of the population. (Kralev, 2009)23 .The US administration is also focusing on destroying the drug cartel which operates in Afghanistan. They are focusing on reducing the inflow of chemicals needed to produce heroin and increase the alternative sources of income for farmers. A plan is also being laid out to allow central government to share power with the regions (Der Spiegel, 2008)24.This will lead to a civilian surge , ground level development and prevent Taliban from recapturing areas like it did recently. 10. Is what being done enough to increase Soft Power Clearly the amount of work being done by US in Afghanistan is not enough to increase its soft power.Infact , countries like India have built up more soft power in Afghanistan than USA.USA can take ales son or two from the Indian diplomacy in building soft power. India has invested $1.5 billion in developmental and infrastructure works in Afghanistan. This includes building of roads, hospitals, schools and the Afghan Parliamnet.This effort has earned Universal praise. (Rajghatta, 2009)25.India suffered greatly at the hands of Taliban.Its embassy was recently bombed and remains a high threat target.Many Indians working in Afghanistan have been captured and killed by Afghanistan. (USA Today, 2008)26 But this has not stopped the country from investing heavily in Afghanistan and continuing to build its soft power.US needs to learn from India on this ground.US forces immediately plan a retaliation if their troops are targetted.This retaliation usually occurs at the cost of Afghan civilans which once again brings resentment against US and all the good work goes down the drain.Instead of making it's security forces fight the taliban , Indian Army is training commandoes for Afghan Army.US has also fallen behind in winning the hearts and minds of people.Indian embassy is encashing on poularity of bollywood films and special screenings are organised in the regions where India engineers are involved in construction of roads.(Enjoy Bollywood , 2010).27US needs to concentrate less on establisihing puppet governments in Afghanistan and should focus more on things that matter to the public - construction of roads , increasing education , providing employemnt to people devestated by war.USA should focus a lot on university exchange programmes just like India is doing.Creating Phds in USA who will come back and work in Afghansitan and shape its future are a much better occupation forces than marines. 11.Is Soft Power Sustainable US military cannot be present in Afghanistan forever. The only way in which US can maintain some sort of control over this strategically important nation is through soft power. Soft Power unlike crude military power is much more sustainable. Many critics argue that soft power require a lot of investment and time. However unlike hard military power, soft power ca pay back for itself. Infrastructure projects which are sponsored by US like power plant project will usually be undertaken by US companies as the number of Afghani companies to undertake huge projects is limited. These projects will most likely increase the US FDI in Afghanistan and will create jobs for US nationals in Afghanistan as well as more jobs will be created in Afghanistan.(USARC, 2010).28Creating universities and schools in Afghanistan at US expense will win the support of local population. No government can work for long against the wishes of its people. Soft power does not win wars but it prevents wars. The amount of money needed by a single soldier in Afghanistan for 2 years can be used to set up 20 schools in Afghanistan. (Joseph S. Nye, 2009)29.It is much more difficult for warlords in Afghanistan and Taliban to kill US citizen who is teaching in these schools rather than killing a marine with a gun. However soft power alone might not be able to completely finish off Taliban - the main reason why US entered Afghanistan. However soft power of US will make the use of hard power much more legitimate and acceptable to the people of Afghanistan(Der Spiegel , 2008)30.USA can in fact train the Afghani army and police with the help of soft power and then they can in turn use hard power on the terrorists. This will be much more sustainable and acceptable to the local population. 12. Is Soft Power Durable Soft Power gives power back to where it belongs - to the people. It is involved in empowering the people; making them financially independent and providing those with enough job opportunities so that they do not take to the gun. If USA wants to achieve its purpose of establishing democracy in Afghanistan and taking power away from Taliban than it needs to empower the common man.(US Department of State , 2008)31 Soft Power is the only form of power that is durable and leaves a lasting impression. A national highway constructed by US in Afghanistan will bring employment and economic freedom to the people. The three things which matter most to a person in a developing nation are - Food, clothing and shelter(MANAS , 1971)32. Any power which provides these three or provides means through which these three can be achieved will capture the imagination of people and will be able to exert a lot of influence on the country even in future. Use of hard military power leads to loss of US and Afghani lives - this creates resentment not only among Afghan people who lose their loved ones but also back home in USA(Hamdard , 2006)33.Thus is USA wants a permanent presence and influence in Afghanistan ; they need to exert lot more soft power. 13. Is Soft Power Robust Enough Being robust means having or showing vigour, strength, or firmness. (Merrian Webster Online Dictionary., 2009)34.Many US army commanders believe that a firm hand is needed to deal with Taliban - Soft Power does not provide them with that(The Telegraph , 2009)35. Soft Power may prove to be less firm and robust in the short term but it's much stronger in the long term(Joseph S. Nye,2009)36. It takes time for results to be seen. A power plant being built will become operational 5 years down the line, whereas results of a military operation can be seen immediately. Soft power takes time to be effective and may not be as firm or robust in the short term. To overcome this, US policy should consider using a combination of both. Hard military power can provide short term gains and keep Taliban at bay for the time being - it can also make the way clear for the implementation of soft power which takes much more time but is highly effective and robust I the long term. 14. Is Soft Power Appropriate and Adequate The one event which challenged the US hard power severely was the Sept 11 twin tower attacks. An important function of military power is to be able to provide adequate protection to the civilian population - this function was severely compromised by these attacks and the attacks by terrorists in various US embassies all across the world(All Academic Research.com , 2009)37. This observation more than answers the questions about the appropriateness of soft power over hard power.USA was able to arrest many more AL Qaeda terrorists by providing logistics and economical support to the Pakistani army than by the war on Afghanistan with US soldiers. But many sceptics still question the ability of soft power to yield any influence without hard power. They claim it to be adequate only when used in combination with hard power. These critics are right when it comes to emergency situations like the war like situation faced by US after September 11 attacks. In these situations soft power alone might not be adequate but once the dust settles on the war and when US has to think about long term goals and interests in any country - the costs; both human and economical ; of doing it using soft power are much more manageable than by using military power(Nye, 2004)38. So we can safely say that soft power alone might not be sufficient when a knockout punch is needed but when long term interests are at stake - nothing else should be even considered as an option by USA. 15. Conclusion In this report, the working of US soft power has been critically evaluated. Based on the definitions of power, hard power and soft power are distinguished. While hard power focuses on coercive behaviour soft power focuses on cooperative behaviour. The various dimensions of soft power have been examined for US. The critical examination shows that hard power alone cannot help in obtaining the desirable outcomes. The need for soft power is gaining more and more relevance as illustrated by many examples. The specific example of American policy in Iraq shows that hard power neglects the humanitarian aspects, which can lead to resistance from the public and ultimately its failure. . However, at the same time, it is not always guaranteed that soft power is more humane than hard power. There can be many instances when the means of attraction can be in conflict with the interests of opponents or neglects their interests. The success of soft power depends on how effectively it is used. The examples of American policy in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that though hard power enabled America to invade other countries, it costed a lot for them in terms of worsening economic development and bad image among the international community. This need not be the case if soft power was used. Bibliography Barrett,SR , S Stokholm and J Burke(2001): "The Idea of Power and the Power of Ideas: A Review Essay", American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 103, No. 2 (Jun., 2001), pp. 468-480, http://www.jstor.org/stable/683477. Cato Institute (2009): "Cato Handbook for Policy Makers", Cato Institute, 7th edition, http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb111/hb111-51.pdf. 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