How Can Public Diplomacy Complement “Hard Power” Tactics in International Affairs?

Hard power is a term used to describe power that is acquired from the use of military and/or economic force to influence the behaviour or interests of other political entities. As the name might imply, this type of political power is often aggressive, and is most effective when imposed by one political body upon another of lesser military and/or economic power. What it boils down to is: Do what we want. If you don 't, we will inflict undesirable damage on your person, citizenry, economy, security forces, crops, well water, et cetera. Hard power is mostly placed in the International Relations field of Realism, where military power is seen as the expression of a state’s strength in the international community. While the existence of hard power has a long history, the term arose when Joseph Nye coined 'soft power ' as a fresh and different form of power in a State 's foreign policy. Nye defined soft power as “the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than through coercion.” He also said that soft power “could be developed through relations with allies, economic assistance, and cultural exchanges.” He argued that this would result in “a more favourable public opinion and credibility abroad.” By engaging both forms of power, hard and soft, one is then employing ‘smart power’. Another term defined by Joseph Nye, it was endorsed by Hilary Clinton:
“We must use what has been called smart power — the full range of tools at our disposal — diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural — picking the right tool, or combination of tools, for each situation. With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy.”
Ideas matter, and a country’s ability to promote ideals to citizens of other nations and societies, known as public diplomacy (PD), can work wonders to advance the national interest. By taking a look at case studies, we will examine whether PD can complement hard power tactics and thus we will see if ‘smart power’ is

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