19 April 2023

Instruments of PRC Soft Power

Policies clearly manifesting PRC soft power in Latin America are still in relatively early stages, but generally include Confucius institutes, people-to-people engagements, media outreach, high-level public diplomacy, and activities by PRC firms – activities overall consistent with Xi Jinping’s 2022 orders for “strengthening and improving international communication work.”

Confucius Institutes

Author: David J. Kramer, Executive Director at the Bush Institute

India by assuming the G20 presidency has the chance to play an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.

From a geopolitical perspective, this means India can take the opportunity to leverage its historical and amenable ties with Russia, and bring a more isolated Moscow to the discussion and diplomacy roundtable of over 200 G20 meetings to follow. It can use its platform to address the Ukraine conflict, strategizing for peace and a path toward reconciliation as much as possible.

India exerts its soft power very gently, but is prominent in a number of fields:

Born 7 September 1981, Vladimir Kara-Mutza  is a Russian political activist, journalist, author, and filmmaker. A protégé of Boris Nemtsov, he serves as vice-chairman of Open Russia, an NGO founded by Russian businessman and former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, which promotes civil society and democracy in Russia. He was elected to the Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition in 2012, and served as deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party from 2015 to 2016. He has directed two documentaries, They Chose Freedom and Nemtsov.

Most of the major factors that could lead to a global conflagration are currently present. The war in Ukraine could escalate and become even more internationalized in the next few months; and if the United States and NATO go to war with Russia, other authoritarian regimes may take advantage of the situation to attack America’s allies if not America itself.

Belarus: Militarily, Belarus is Russia’s biggest supporter having allowed both its land and airspace to be used by the Kremlin’s forces. Despite resisting pressure thus far from Putin to send troops into Ukraine, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has had no qualms about the thousands of missiles launched from his territory toward Ukraine’s cities. Lukashenko has little choice in the matter given he’s only still in power because Russia helped him quash a popular uprising after a contested election in 2020.

The Global Soft Power Index incorporates a broad range of measures, which in combination provide a balanced and holistic assessment of nation’s presence, reputation and impact on the world stage. These include familiarity, influence and reputation as well as performance on eight soft power pillars, including

(Billions US$)