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Blog by analyst of the Institute of World Policy Kateryna Zarembo for KyivPostEach country has three levers in international relations: a military power, an economic power and soft power – the power to attract. It is no news Ukraine can’t boast with the former two. How about the latter? And what is it, by the way?
In his book “Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics” Joseph Nye defined soft power as “the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than through coercion” and singled out three sources which constitute it: “[a state’s] culture (in places where it is attractive to others), its political values (where it lives up to them at home and abroad) and its foreign policies (where they are seen as legitimate and having moral authority)”.

After the fruitful discussion that we had with Professor Nye last week at the videoconference organized by the Institute of World Policy I would like to share a couple of tips, which would help understand what is soft power and how it works in the regional dimension.

1. “Attraction” does not equal “success”.

Or rather, it depends on how success is understood in a given environment. As Professor Nye agrees, “for soft power it matters very much what is in the mind of a person who is actually receiving”. That is, a country which has rule of law, democracy and economic growth can be attractive to the Western capitals, but an illiberal growing power like China also has its admirers.

Clearly, for Russia an illiberal Ukraine is more attractive than a democratic one, since it would be within its own sphere of values and interests. In other words, with the EU on the one side of the border and some dictatorships on the other, chances that Ukraine will be equally appealing to everyone are slim.

2. Soft power provides influence.

Obviously soft power is a pledge of influence over others. If you are attractive, people will admire you and want what you want. Admiration leads to following and acquiescing. In the international relations it means that any country, e.g. Ukraine, can influence the development of other countries given enough soft power. That brings us to the conclusion that…

3. Soft power can be “positive” and “negative”.

… which of course is relative, too. But Ukraine, formerly seen as the beacon of democracy in the region, can lead either democratic or authoritarian development in the neighbouring countries, especially such “democracies in transition” as Moldova and Georgia. Alternatively, if a country’s soft power is weak, it can influence other countries’ development in the opposite direction. The fact is that soft power always produces an effect.

4. Soft power is natural.

This clause is important for governments who think that soft power can be bought or constructed. A Chinese student who asked Joseph Nye how his country could boost its soft power got the answer: “You could do it if you relax more”.

Thus, soft power is gained not through deliberate propaganda but through individual attractive development, for the sake of one’s own and not for someone else. When Ukraine is a success story for its own citizens, its soft power will grow effortlessly.