The Shrinking of American Soft Power

In light of events currently taking place around the world, it is almost impossible to imagine what the United States used to be able to achieve through soft power. Its erosion, however, has been exclusively the Americans’ undoing.

The world as we know it is rapidly changing. This is a well-worn truism, for sure, but we can see it very starkly in the scope and potency of American soft power. We cannot even begin to imagine what the U.S. used to be able to accomplish thanks to soft power. Americans were seen as the world’s sheriff, not only standing for justice and prosperity for all, but also having the muscle to confront any threats that put that dream in danger. The rulers of the Soviet Bloc were also a tremendous asset to U.S. public diplomacy. The contrast between them and the West could not have been starker: The East censored the press, while the West had a free press. While the East was building walls, the West was working on tearing them down. The West had roads filled with good cars, whereas the East rationed poorly made ones. The list goes on.

The general public as a whole does not have a great grasp on history or current events, but in terms of international politics, it does know certain facts. Anyone who is even remotely interested in the Cold War knows JFK’s “Berliner” speech or Reagan’s appeal to Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. As for the actions of the Soviets, many can remember the Hungarian intervention in 1956 or Czechoslovakia in 1968. The people of Asia and Africa have associated the U.S. with growth and prosperity. Freedom, economic success and respect for human rights have long been the calling card of the West. History not being black and white, and Americans supporting dictators when it suited them are separate matters.

However, when it came to American soft power, the spreading of American culture or globalization, Washington was doing very well. Even when an invasion of Iraq was imminent, there were many people convinced that the U.S. could not be so wrong. After all, Americans always fought for freedom and democracy.

How It All Unraveled

It is difficult to expect Western European society to hold up China or Russia as models to follow. As a result, these two countries will never have the soft power that Americans wielded for so long, unless they reform. It seems at the moment that the United States, its military supremacy aside, could exert its soft power to bring change to democratic and nondemocratic countries alike. The reality is very different, however. The U.S. has dramatically lost its soft power, mostly because of its own undoing.

Seen as a vanguard of freedom around the world until 10 years ago, the U.S. has gained an image as a power ruthlessly promoting its own narrow self-interest. Even in Poland, a rabidly pro-American country, there is growing disillusion, not only because of Iraq and Afghanistan, but also because of America’s stance on Russia, seen as an abandonment of its allies in Europe. Recognition must be given to the U.S. ambassador in Warsaw, who has indeed been very effective in using public diplomacy to his advantage.

The WikiLeaks publications, the Manning trial and the Snowden saga are also huge image problems for America. An oft-repeated question is how Snowden’s stay in Russia will affect relations between the U.S. and Russia. In reality, it is a third-rate issue in light of nuclear proliferation agreements, transit into and out of Afghanistan or the Syrian and Iranian negotiations. Snowden does, however, strike at the heart of American soft power, as does Manning: a superpower hunting a mid-level bureaucrat who revealed one of the most pervasive surveillance programs in human history. It even led to a widely publicized incident with the Bolivian presidential airplane, brought down in contravention of international law when it was suspected that the aircraft was transporting Snowden. The partner of the Guardian journalist who published the leaks was stopped and held for nine hours at a British airport — which the Americans will be tied to, anyway — and Manning was held naked in a cell for leaking documents. If we add that all of these people were hunted by the U.S. because they revealed embarrassing and disturbing information, we can see how American soft power melts before our eyes. Human rights become a means to an end.

Paradoxically, the Snowden and Manning affairs had the potential to become positive turning points for the U.S., but that would require a complete overhaul of a powerful and extremely entrenched system. The two of them should have been announced as heroes and given slaps on the wrist, but even a small gesture like that was impossible. It would be wise to remind readers that one of the major issues of pre-9/11 intelligence was not that they had too little information — the rationale used for PRISM — but that they had too much and could not see all the pieces fitting together.

Snowden and WikiLeaks are not the only contributors to the trust deficit. Though America is currently pursuing its realpolitik in a way that is actually quite effective, it does not have any broader values or doctrine to which it can attach these actions to. America, as well as Poland, has been trying to sell “democracy” to the world. Perhaps “modernization” would be a better term, with democracy taking a back seat. Afghanistan and Iraq were placed under the banners of the war on terror and democracy building; while the former was somewhat effective, the latter has been a failure.

The coupling of anti-terrorism and democracy building looked good on paper, but has resulted in a futile conflict in Afghanistan, where a civil war looks likely after the withdrawal of NATO forces. Iraqi democracy has worked a bit better, but the recent waves of violence have been blamed on the effects of the American invasion. Egypt has been a complete failure for the U.S.; the Americans are stuck having to decide between a military they have traditionally sided with and a democratically elected government created by the militantly anti-Semitic and anti-American Muslim Brotherhood. Both sides of the Egyptian conflict have a laundry list of reasons why they see the U.S. unfavorably. The one trump card that the Americans hold, military aid, is not really a soft power tool.

One bright spot seems to be Myanmar, where political prisoners are set to be released by the end of the year and where the country is transitioning to a democracy, opening up to American investment. However, has the U.S. captured the world’s attention by what is happening in Myanmar? Probably not. The peace talks in the Middle East are still another area for optimism. Achieving a framework for negotiating a two-state solution would be an enormous success for Obama and Secretary Kerry. There are reasons for optimism but no concrete reasons to celebrate at the moment. However, America’s unconditional commitment to Israel has cost it points all over the world. Strictly speaking, it is understandable why America has tied itself to Israel, but how do you explain to the rest of the Middle East why Israel can have nuclear weapons but everyone else cannot?

The usually reliable “American dream” economic vision has been also undermined by the financial crisis. It is still, however, more desirable to live in the recession-ravaged United States than in the majority of the rest of the world. The U.S. still has a lot of soft power left, despite the negative tone in this article. It still has Hollywood, many U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations and the most powerful and professional media outlets. Americans are still the kings of soft power, mostly because there is simply no one else to take the throne at the moment. Most pretenders, such as the European Union, India, Brazil or China, are still learning the art of global public diplomacy.

Lessons for Poland

America’s problems are also Europe’s problems. Snowden had a notable influence on France, Germany and the United Kingdom when he revealed that the intelligence services of those nations are conducting surveillance as well. The EU does not have the power of America, but it also lacks the commitment — Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result, the EU can use its limited resources to be an influence around the world, if it can undertake the enormous task of internal reform first.

For now, Lady Ashton’s condemnations and threats are seen as nothing but hot air. However, the EU has achieved some measure of success in the Balkans, where it has managed to bring Serbia and Kosovo to the negotiating table. However, success can be elusive, as the Americans can attest.