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U.S. needs 'soft power' leader, and he could be our man
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| Parent(s) |
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| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP May 21, 2008 06:51pm |
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| Category | Opinion |
| Media | Newspaper - Baltimore Sun |
| News Date | Thursday, May 22, 2008 12:50:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Is Sen. Barack Obama the future "soft power" president of the United States?
My current trip to Brazil and one a few months ago to Saudi Arabia - two countries that could hardly be more different - have convinced me that he would have a chance for a transformative global impact.
"Soft" may sound weak or pejorative, but it's not. Unlike American "hard" power, which is exercised through our military and economic clout, soft power relies on our moral, notional and cultural exports. It derives from our ability to persuade the planet with our values, products and identity.
To use the shorthand of acronyms, ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) are hard power; KFCs (Colonel Sanders' global fast-food chain) are soft power. Consider that the Marriott hotel on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, from which I write, has The Simpsons on its cable package and a McDonald's a few blocks away.
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