soft power

Meaning

Noun

• Political influence that is extended by means of diplomacy, media, international assistance, cultural exchanges, etc., rather than by such "hard" means as military intervention or punitive economic measures.
• A state having this kind of power.

Origin

• Coined by American political scientist Joseph Nye in the late 1980s and popularized in the 1990 book “Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power”.
• {{cite-book
• |year=1990
• |author=Joseph Samuel Nye Jr.
• |authorlink=Joseph Nye
• |isbn=0465007430
• |publisher=Basic Books
• |location=New York
• |title=Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power