The Decline of American Soft Power

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In The Media

The Decline of American Soft Power

By Josh Kurlantzick

Published on Dec 1, 2005

Source: Current History

In a recent Current History article, Joshua Kurlantzick argues that failures in America’s public diplomacy have resulted in the decline of America’s soft power. He explains although that the decline began under the Clinton administration, which cut the State Department’s public diplomacy budget and severely weakened the United States Information Agency; the actions following September 11th further compounded these mistakes. As a result, America’s soft power has diminished significantly and the United States must increasingly resort to the use of force and coercive measures to achieve the ends it desires.

Kurlantzick provides insightful advice on what it will take to repair America’s international image in this article that orginally appeared in Current History, December 2005.

Joshua Kurlantzick is a visiting scholar in the Carnegie Endowment’s China Program. Also a special correspondent for The New Republic, Kurlantzick is assessing China’s relationship with Southeast Asia, particularly in the context of China’s relationship with other parts of the developing world and the United States.

About the Author

Josh Kurlantzick

Former Visiting Scholar, China Program

A special correspondent for The New Republic, a columnist for Time, and a senior correspondent for The American Prospect, Kurlantzick assesses China’s relationship with the developing world, including Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Recent Work

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