03rd September 2016 03:50:09 Hours
Prof. Shyam Tekwani (Hawai) Associate Professor at the Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Honolulu at the outset of the Session 3, themed ‘Military Contribution to Soft Power; a Comparative Analysis’ under the sub theme ‘Soft Power, Peace-Building and Armed Forces’ produced a brief multimedia analytical presentation to show how ‘hard power’ differs from ‘soft power’.
Here is his brief presentation:
The real key is not how many enemy do I kill.
The real key is how many allies I grow.
Joseph S Nye. Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics (2004)
POWER
Power is the ability to get what you want
We can get what we want by:
Sticks: The power to force or threat
Carrots: The power to pay or bribe
Hard Talk on Soft Power
Ogilvy executives explained that the concept of soft power is very closely linked to that of nation branding
A brand is a combination of hard and soft attributes
The harder they are, the more rational; the softer they are, the more emotional
And soft power is hugely dependent on emotion
Smart power
An effective strategy is often a combination of soft power and hard power elements
Example: U.S. Burma policy
Sanctions alone did not work well
But sanctions combined with engagement seem to help make progress
Engagement alone would not cause the junta to change
History lessons
Among the greatest empires of East Asia in the past, the most coercive ones were the most successful in the short run but also the most short-lived
The highest longevity tends to be awarded to those empires that knew how to blend an optimal mix of coercive and co-optive methods of government
All attempts at uniting Europe through conquest ended unsuccessfully.
The most successful process of European unification owes much of its success to the core group’s abilities to pay and attract
HARD POWER
The mention of hard power immediately conjures up images of tanks, fighters, and missiles
But military prowess and competence can sometimes create soft power
HARD POWER: MILITARY
Military force is hard power, but the military also can generate soft power and also be used as an effective soft power resource
In recent years military engagement programmes have increasingly been recognised as having particular utility for strategic purposes; with former or potential adversaries, but also countries that are considered important in securing the national interest
Military Power
The tools of delivery range from traditional international military and educational training, to humanitarian relief
Military-to-military cooperation and training programs, for example, can establish transnational networks that enhance a country’s soft power
Military Power
When it attracts others by doing its job well, when it engages in military to military education and training, when it provides relief after a tsunami or earthquake, the military contributes to a country’s soft power
HARD POWER
It is far more common for hard instruments of power to be used for soft power purposes then vice versa
In fact, the United States has often used its military power for soft power ends. In rare instances, this is done in sweeping ways such as when the U.S. used its military superiority after WWII to transform Japan and Germany into democratic states
HARD POWER
Originally this was done through pure coercion, but eventually the Japanese and German populations came to accept democratic values (and U.S. leadership) as legitimate
More frequently, the U.S. military is used more subtly for soft power ends
For instance, after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, U.S. naval assets allowed the U.S. to be one of the first organizations on the scene helping in the rescue effort
The same was true after the disasters in Japan
This undoubtedly made the U.S. in general, and the U.S. military’s presence in the region in particular, more attractive in the eyes of local populations who benefitted significantly from them being there
Similarly, when the U.S. military is used to fight piracy or uphold freedom of navigation in international waters, it is using both soft and hard power
It is using hard power towards the pirates and whichever party is threatening free navigation, by coercing or forcing them to seize their actions…
…..but it is using soft power towards other populations who view the U.S. military’s presence in their neighborhood as legitimate thanks to these actions, and are attracted to the U.S. for its commitment to uphold freedom of navigation
As Osama bin Laden has said, people are attracted to a strong horse rather than a weak horse
A well-run military can be a source of admiration
The impressive job of the U.S. military in providing humanitarian relief after the Indian Ocean tsunami and the South Asian earthquake in 2005 helped restore the attractiveness of the United States
HARD POWER: ACEH
The humanitarian emergency triggered by the tsunami provided a critical opportunity for change in Aceh-prying open the province, which was under martial law, to international scrutiny, promising an end to the security forces’ human rights violations and freedom from prosecution, and offering an avenue for ending the conflict
The military’s tight grip over Aceh slipped in the aftermath of the tsunami
For one, its system of control was largely washed away—military and police stations were destroyed or damaged, and many documents relating to martial law, including mandatory identity cards, were lost
Although hardliners were pressing to bar foreign relief personnel from Aceh, the huge scale of the catastrophe made the need for massive international assistance irrefutable
The tsunami shifted the political dynamic quite decisively, as it brought increased international attention.” With the eyes of the world trained on Aceh, both the government and the rebels were anxious to seize the high moral ground and not to be seen as sabotaging the peace process
Several donors, including Germany and Japan, made it clear to both sides that they expected progress in the peace negotiations so that reconstruction could proceed unimpeded
From January to July 2005, five negotiation rounds took place in Helsinki, and an agreement was reached quickly and signed on August 15, 2005
HARD POWER: MISUSE
Of course, misuse of military resources can also undercut soft power
The Soviets had a great deal of soft power in the years after World War II, but they destroyed it by the way they used their hard power against Hungary and Czechoslovakia
Brutality and indifference to just war principles of discrimination and proportionality can also destroy legitimacy
The efficiency of the initial U.S. military invasion of Iraq in 2003 created admiration in some sections of the world, but that soft power was undercut by the subsequent inefficiency of the occupation and the scenes of mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib
IN CONCLUSION
Force is not the only ultimate source of power. Other ultimate sources of power include payments, structures, and virtues
Hard power and soft power are two strategies to deal with resistance:
Hard power: face and overcome resistance
Soft power: avert or avoid resistance
Hard power and soft power have limitations
Smart power is the combination of soft power and hard power in an effective strategy
An increasingly complex security environment now requires a flexible policy response that may require both hard and soft power instruments; successful outcomes in international affairs is likely to be achieved through a combination of hard and soft power
