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«IZVESTIYA IRKUTSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA». SERIYA «POLITOLOGIYA. RELIGIOVEDENIE»
«THE BULLETIN OF IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY». SERIES «POLITICAL SCIENCE AND RELIGION STUDIES»
ISSN 2073-3380 (Print)

List of issues > Series «Political Science and Religion Studies». 2022. Vol 39

The Confrontation Interpretation of “Soft Power”: the Transformation of the American Concept in Russia

Author(s)
S. F. Schmidt
Abstract
The article provides a general overview of the “soft power” theory and the features of its perception in Russia. The author analyses the fluctuations between the communicative and confrontation interpretations of the “soft power” concept in Russian foreign policy as well as the circumstances that influenced the shift towards the confrontation interpretation. The author assumes that the drift of the American concept of “soft power” towards “sharp power” in Russia is determined by the fundamental difference between American and Russian foreign policies as universalist and opposed to universalism. In the conclusion, the urgent problems of shaping and promoting the “soft power” of Russia are outlined.
About the Authors
Schmidt Sergey Fedorovich, Сandidate of Sciences (History), Associate Professor, Department of World History and International Relations, Faculty of History, Irkutsk State University, 1, K. Marx st., Irkutsk, 664003, Russian Federation, e-mail: cevelik@mail.ru
For citation
Schmidt S.F. The Confrontation Interpretation of “Soft Power”: The Transformation of the American Concept in Russia. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Political Science and Religion Studies, 2022, vol. 39, pp. 22-36. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2022.39.22 (in Russian)
Keywords
foreign policy, hard power, cultural diplomacy, information warfare, world politics, soft power, sharp power, smart power, public diplomacy, cold war.
UDC
327.8(470)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2022.39.22
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