Instruments of “Soft Power” Policy

The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of “soft power”, methods of application, and the role it plays in solving problems facing the world community. Due to the unclear and sometimes contradictory definition of “soft power”, there are many different opinions on what its goals, objectives, and tools actually are. Currently, many countries compete for leadership in various ratings based on cultural diplomacy, which is not always true. In the 1990s, an influential political scientist and statesman from the USA, Joseph Nye, introduced the controversial concept of “soft power” in his book of free genre. This concept quickly gained popularity in journalism and popular science articles. Now, it is the subject of scientific study. Many countries compete in using “soft power”, and there are more than a dozen major international analytical rating agencies operating worldwide. Therefore, it is necessary to understand what the author means by the term “soft power” and how others interpret it. During the research, methods such as analysis, synthesis, analogy, and deduction were used. A study of Nye’s works, his predecessors, and modern authors who develop his ideas has shown that “soft power” is a powerful tool for influencing the worldview of large groups of people. It can be used by top-level establishment of society to advance their agenda, and the outcome will depend on their initial goals. “Soft power” is a set of various rating parameters, a kind of revision of material and non-material resources. This allows us to estimate the potential for its use by individual countries to influence international politics and, on this basis, to predict world events. According to the author, the concept of “soft power” includes an ideological tool that exerts influence at the highest international level — civilizational. This tool can be used both to build mutually beneficial cultural relations that will allow us to find new ways of developing nations and to manipulate and control large groups of people through mental programming.