...with the Decline of American Soft Power (Ep. 23)

What on Earth is Going on?

We all know hard power: tanks, planes, guns, even cyberwarfare units. But since the end of the Second World War, the normal method for a country to achieve its goals has been through openness, dialogue and mutual agreement. War, and the threat of war, has taken a backseat to what Joseph Nye defined as "soft power": the ability to get the other side to want to do what you want. Is this starting to shift? Are we being forced to embrace Donald Trump's harder, zero-sum approach to global affairs?

Ben chats with Sara Greco, PhD Candidate in Political Science at Queen's University.

About the Guest

Sara Greco is a doctoral candidate of political studies at Queen’s University, an R.S. McLaughlin Graduate Fellow, and a Student Fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy. Her most recent article, co-authored with Stéfanie von Hlatky, is entitled “Soft Contributions are Hard Commitments: NATO and Canada’s Global Security Agenda" and has been published in Canadian Foreign Policy Journal.

Learn more about Sara.