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'Hard Power, Smart Power' By Ernest T. Wilson

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'Hard Power, Smart Power' By Ernest T. Wilson
The article, “Hard Power, Soft Power, Smart Power” is an exposé by author Ernest T. Wilson III regarding the current state of American foreign policy. He argues that neither soft nor hard power are sufficient enough in this day in age. Soft powers tends to be politically naïve and institutionally fragile while hard power frames arguments insufficiently and overlooks elements of national power. Instead, he lobbies for a form of public policy that combines fundamentals of hard and soft power that mutually emphasizes the actor’s principle in smart power. After decades of utilizing hard and soft power Wilson proposes the question, “Why Attention to Smart Power Now?” (Wilson 111, 2008) He answers by putting blame onto the shortcomings over the

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