Smart And Sharp Power Of The Us Foreign Policy

Smart and Sharp Power Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Smart and Sharp Power In the US foreign policy, Smart power refers to a concept which underscores the importance of a strong military. Furthermore, smart power invests heavily in partnerships, institutions, and alliances which help to expand the influence of America and establish its legitimacy of action. Smart power combines the approaches of both soft and hard power based on the aspects of diplomacy (Nye, 2009). On the other hand, Sharp power is characteristic of authoritarian influence. In this sense, sharp power is perceived to perforate and penetrate the information environment specifically in targeted countries. In the new wave of competition between democratic and autocratic states, sharp power techniques are seen as a ‘digger' into these regimes (Melissen, 2005). Sharp power techniques enable autocrats to cut into ‘the fabric of the society' which helps to amplify the existing divisions. Smart power has helped to diminish the difference b...