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Understanding Hard vs. Soft Power
Written and Researched By: Chiara Yeung
Published By: Meredith Yuen
Published: 16th March 2026
Terms like “hard power” and “soft power” have been increasingly used in political discussions worldwide. What makes power “hard” or “soft”, and what goes into the development of such power?
What is soft power?
The term “soft power” originated in the late 1980s, and was popularised by American political scientist Joseph Nye in 1990. Defining the term “power” as “the ability to influence the behavior of others to get the outcomes you want,” Nye referred to “soft power” as a country’s ability to influence or co-opt others (often other countries), without resorting to coercive pressure or payment.
This ability would rest on resources, separated into three main categories: firstly, culture–the knowledge, customs, arts, laws, and attitudes of said country’s people; next, political values–the core beliefs, principles and ideals of a country’s governments; and lastly, foreign policies–the general objectives that guiding the activities and relationships of a country with other countries. Therefore, the more positive an image that a country can project towards outsiders, the stronger said country’s soft power.
Countries may increase their soft power through a range of measures, whether it be promotion of their culture through the release of music and films, or increasing diplomatic efforts with other countries. Some examples would be South Korea’s Hallyu Wave, China’s “Panda Diplomacy”, and the UK’s Premier League. Compared to “hard power”, which will be discussed in further depth below, “soft power” is comparatively much less aggressive, and uses human appeal instead of hard-handed force to win others over. However, one of the shortcomings of soft power is the long time it takes to build up and the swiftness at which it can be destroyed, as it takes time to gain the trust of a country’s fellow allies and to solidify it’s global reputation, yet it only takes one misstep to sever alliances . This contrasts with hard power; although it also takes time to build and develop, it is much harder for countries (or its adversaries) to dismantle in a short period of time.
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What is hard power?
The term “hard power” was created as the antithesis to the term “soft power”. Defined as “the ability to use coercive pressure to influence others,” hard power often comes in the shape of economic or military aggression to force other countries into doing certain things. Compared to soft power, hard power is much easier to measure and thus conceptualise, coming in the form of military size, economic influence, or even something as simple as natural resources. The larger a country’s military or economy, the greater its hard power.
Hence, hard power can be wielded in various forms, such as the formation of military alliances, economic sanctions, and most prominently, military action. Compared to soft power, hard power is much more aggressive and confrontational in its methods, utilising various shows of power to force others into acts that they would not have performed otherwise. Some examples of modern-day hard power would include the ongoing Iran conflict, the US-China trade war, or the Russo-Ukrainian war, all utilising (or countered by) economic and military means by countries across the globe. ​
Examples of hard and soft power
Though the term “soft power” and its counterpart “hard power” was not coined until the late 1990s, countries have been using both as tools to increase their global influence for centuries. Some examples of which, will be further discussed below:
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USA
For decades, the US has been a global superpower, having risen to the pinnacles of economic success after the two world wars. However, the US’ global standing didn’t come to the country naturally; rather, it was developed using a mix of hard and soft power, utilised and maintained over the years to further enhance its image across the globe. So how has the US developed both its hard and soft power abilities throughout the decades, and how may it develop in the future?
Firstly, hard power. The US’ hard power abilities are readily apparent, home to the world’s largest economy and 3rd largest military, though the country is first in the world for military spending. A plethora of US military bases are also located across the globe, from regions such as Europe to the Middle East. Meanwhile, as one of the world’s largest trading powers, the US is home to the world’s largest financial hubs and markets. With the US dollar used as the main currency for international trade, the US dollar is also able to have a large effect on countries’ economies, showing how the US’ hard power footprint is everywhere for the eye to see.
The US’ enormous hard power means that it is able to steer global affairs. Taking its military power for example, having so many military bases stationed around the world could act as a deterrent to potential aggressors, and would also enable the US to intervene militarily in various global conflicts. One example of this would be the ongoing Iranian conflict: the US having a military presence in the Middle East allowed it to coordinate strikes with Israel against Iran in late February, kickstarting the conflict; Iran would later target the US’ military sites and installations in Middle Eastern countries such as Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar as a form of retaliation. Meanwhile, the US’ economic importance to countries worldwide meant when Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs in April 2025, various countries scrambled to sign trade deals with the Trump administration to reduce tariff rates for their respective countries or regions, such as the UK, the EU, and Indonesia, who reduced their tariff rates to 10%, 15% and 19% respectively, in return for pledging further investment in the US. The US’ economic position in the world allows it to use trade agreements and sanctions as leverage to influence other countries’ policies, further displaying the scale of the US’ hard power across countries.
Apart from the US’s hard power, perhaps one of the US’ largest and most powerful assets is its soft power. American culture has an undeniable global reach. Whether it be in the form of education, media, or language, America’s soft power influence draws many to the country for a variety of purposes, in turn helping to boost its global image and thus increasing its appeal to foreigners, creating a positive feedback loop. Additionally, the US disseminates its values of freedom, democracy, and human rights through a multitude of channels, further improving its perception amongst foreigners.
An example of one of these channels would be education: the US’s various universities attract over 1 million international students yearly, and the US government also operates some educational exchange programs, such as the Fulbright Program, which has sponsored over 450,000 students to study in the US since 1946. Through the implicit promotion of political values in their education and the interaction with American culture, students educated in the US are generally able to maintain and spread a positive view of the country throughout their careers, solidifying the US’s soft power across the globe.
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China
Though China’s rise to its status as a global superpower has been quite rapid and recent, China has now become the home to the world’s second largest economy and the world’s largest military. China’s hard power is thus mainly manifested through these two aspects, though a much heavier emphasis is put on its military power. As mentioned above, China’s military is the largest in the world, and it maintains a formidable presence in the Asia-Pacific region, constantly monitoring parts of the South China Sea, creating artificial islands and various military installations as a method of laying claim to such disputed territories. Though much detail isn’t known about China’s military developments, China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been known to have undergone various degrees of modernisation and technological development, exhibiting China’s military prowess on the world stage, and yet again creating a sort of a deterrence effect against its adversaries, such as the USA.
Despite China’s recent rise to global stardom, it has not faltered in its pursuit to develop soft power influence around the world either. One example of its attempts to expand its soft power influence throughout the world would be through its “panda diplomacy” program, where the Chinese government loans giant pandas, its national animal, to various countries around the world as a gesture of goodwill, in exchange for various economic, conservation, or research. Started in the late 1950s by then-President Mao Zedong, China has since sent over 80 of its cute, cuddly panda bears overseas, all of which have accumulated significant amounts of positive media attention in their various new home countries, strengthening China’s image as a friendly and kind nation, and gaining various degrees of trust, loyalty, and reciprocity from such governments and their people.
Another incredibly prominent example of China’s expansion of its soft power would be through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). First developed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, the BRI is a Chinese-led massive infrastructure investment project aimed at improving connectivity, trade, and communication across Eurasia, Latin America, and Africa. Described as one of the central components of Chinese foreign policy, the policy has spearheaded China’s push to become a leader in global affairs, connecting over 140 countries worldwide in an economic development and trade network. Since its inception, it has helped develop critical transport infrastructure in various African countries such as Djibouti and Ethiopia, and it has also aided in the construction of energy infrastructure in Central and South Asian countries such as Vietnam and Tajikistan. As development of key infrastructure is generally recognised to have a positive impact on citizens’ quality of life, China’s association with such countries’ infrastructure developments can have a positive impact on China’s global standing and image. Moreover, such development agreements can help develop relationships of trust and security between members of the BRI initiative, facilitating further cooperation between China and such nations on a wider range of issues.
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References:
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