American Foreign Policy
Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics -- Joseph S. Nye
What are the strengths of Nye's arguments?
By suggesting that a strategy of "soft power" (using America's substantial strength of influence, international collaborative coalitions, and non-lethal approaches to persuasion) is preferable to storming into a nation such as was the case with the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 Nye certainly has attempted to stir up the waters in America's current political scene. This is one clear strong point of his argument: simply the fact that he wrote a book which presents an intelligent, well-thought-out alternative to the Bush Administration's approach to "fighting terrorism." Nye's position is that soft power (" ... getting others to want the outcomes that you want -- co-opts people rather than coerces them" page 5) is more a matter of getting people "to buy into your values" (5) than pushing them, or bullying them into believing what you believe.
Since the Bush approach is basically one of unilateralism (go it alone if we must) and hegemony ("preponderant influence or authority over others" according to Merriam-Webster Online), e.g., putting together a coalition of a handful of allies to invade and occupy Iraq, which is contrary to most American military engagements, an opposing view (Nye's viewpoint) is healthy. And since the Bush invasion of Iraq was based on what the public now knows were questionable claims (that Saddam Hussein was pursuing nuclear weapons development and had already produced weapons of mass destruction) -- without the blessing of the United Nations -- there needs to be a counterpoint to that policy. Why?
The answer lies in the fact that the American political system is based on an honest dialogue between those who are engaged in the machinery of government. This nation is strong because those on both sides of the political discussion are free to criticize and present alternative ideas. And frankly, the Nye approach to resolving the issue of Saddam's threat to the Middle East -- albeit idealistic and perhaps not entirely practical -- looks reasonable now that the war has not gone well, indeed...
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American Foreign Policy from three articles from Annual Edition's American Foreign Policy: Article 33, "Musclebound: The Limits of U.S. Power" by Stephen M. Walt; Article 12, "A Small Peace for the Middle East" by Arthur Hertzberg; and Article 11, "To Be An Enlightened Power" by Wu Xinbo. It answers the following questions: 1) What is the overall foreign policy issue/theme/problem that links the articles together. 2) What are the
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