''This is the time to heal in America,” was the proclamation of President-Elect Biden in his victory acceptance speech on November 7th. In lieu of their victory, the Biden-Harris campaign came out with a message of unity after four long years of polarisation. Biden pleaded with Americans to come together to tackle their domestic problems, COVID-19 not being the least of them. But, what of America’s diplomatic relations, which so heavily suffered under the Trump administration? How deeply did Trump diminish the USA’s soft power and will Biden be able to restore it?
The term ‘soft power’ was initially coined by Joseph Nye Jr., professor at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and is defined the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without force or coercion. Sometimes called the ‘second face of power’, it’s more inconspicuous than it’s counterpart, hard power, which can be measured with military might and economic power. Still, it’s effectiveness as a diplomatic tool in acquiring allies and partners is undeniable. According to Nye, soft power originates from three different sources: political values, culture and foreign policy. A country’s foreign policy will determine its legitimacy, and it’s political values and culture will make it more attractive to the foreign public. Hence, soft power can be exercised in a variety of ways - from the production of movies in Hollywood to America’s entry into various international organisations.
Soft power as a concept became more observed following the US victory in the Cold War. It’s values of liberal democracy and the free market, combined with its aim to be the powerful actors on the international stage, formed a grand strategy that many academics have called ‘liberal hegemony’. The most explicit expressions of soft power were seen among the two post-Cold War presidents, Bush and Clinton. Notably, Bush called the US “a moral nation” and Clinton stated that America’s prosperity relied on promoting democracy abroad. Their vision of America as the Lightbringer of democracy to the rest of the world was so great that it translated into expressions of hard power, as we saw with the Iraq War.
However, with Trump’s election, we saw a decline of this post-Cold War international order. Trump abandoned the promotion of democracy abroad and instead praised Putin and Duterte, who both have been endlessly described as authoritarians. He withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, making the US the only country to do so. Additionally, he has criticised a range of international organisation such as World Trade Organization (WTO) for being “too soft on China” after US tariffs on China were called into question for breaking trading rules. The same fate befell on the World Health Organization (WHO) after the President declared that the US would cut funding of the organisation and pull out its membership amid the pandemic. Long-time alliances, too, became frayed as the President sang praises for Russia and criticised NATO countries for skimping on funding for the organisation.
All in all, Trump pursued what Barry Posen of Foreign Affairs called ‘illiberal hegemony’. His policy of ‘America First’ still seeks to maintain the US’ status as a superpower in both military and economic terms without keeping its promises to allies and organisations or spreading ideas of democracy. Trump’s refusal to concede the recent presidential election only goes to show that the President cares very little for democracy. His eschewing of the very principle of democracy, democratic election, did little to rehabilitate the world’s view of the US, which suffered endlessly over the past four years.
There is clear evidence that Trump’s actions have led to severe deterioration of America’s soft power. According to Gallup polls, only 30% of people surveyed across 134 countries held America under Trump’s leadership in a favourable view. SoftPower30, an annual British index ranking countries’ soft power, initially had the US in the first place in 2016, which rapidly slid down to fifth place in 2019. This is parallel to the apparent rise of Chinese soft power, which manifested itself economically through trade agreements and the infamous Belt and Road Initiative. Even recently, with the COVID-19 pandemic originating in China, attempts to rehabilitate their image have been attempted through the so-called ‘mask diplomacy’. Millions of masks and medical supplies have been sent to Europe by China, including countries like Italy, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Ireland.
So far, the President-Elect’s picks for White House senior staff have been mostly alumni of the Obama administration. That, along with his speeches, send a clear message - Biden means to bring America back to the path it pursued before Trump. That includes the ramping up of soft power from the levels that the President reduced it to. Already, Biden has promised to re-enter various agreements and organisations, including the Paris Climate Agreement and the WHO. Notably, his national security adviser also vowed to rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal, which made waves in diplomatic circles after Trump pulled out of the agreement. Moreover, one of Biden’s top foreign policy priorities seems to repair relationships with the USA’s traditional allies by reiterating his commitment to NATO. On the whole, the tone of America’s foreign policy changing.
But, a true return to status-quo isn’t in the cards. Trust in American leadership has fallen, and power dynamics have shifted. The US left allies in the lurch in these last four years, and it’s reliability as a partner is no longer assured. Not to mention the fact that Trump still holds a strong base domestically and there has been talk of him running again in 2024. And while I believe that the international community will celebrate America’s ‘return’, it will be long before they will cease being wary.
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