Joseph Nye’s Concept of ‘Soft Power’: Challenges and Opportunities for Pakistan in Promoting its Soft Power

Abstract

For maintaining sovereignty, credibility and international standing a nation must possess, in addition to requisite ‘hard power’ elements of ‘soft power’ so that it can become a ‘smart power’, says Joseph Nye., Jr. Pakistan is endowed with abundant natural resources, manpower and soft power attributes but has not been able to convert them effectively into national power. Soft power emanates cumulatively from multiple factors: level and quality of education, open system, good governance, trade, investments, technology and innovation, regional connectivity, culture and tourism. Following the fateful events of 9/11, most of the Islamic World has succumbed to political turbulence and militant violence. In order to build viable robust nation state, Pakistan must emphasize on promotion of its latent soft power components. In other words, both ‘soft’ and ‘hard power’ is essential to go hand in hand for attaining national well-being and security. Put differently, concept of a ‘security state’ must give way to a ‘welfare state’ by incorporating elements of soft power, too. This would be in line with the vision of the Father of the Nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. This article will review soft power, its concept, utility, some limitations and comparison with hard power. Finally, it will offer some guidelines on how best to promote soft power in Pakistan to complement its existing hard power.