SOFT POWER The Means to Success in World Politics JOSEPH S. NYE JR.

"[Nye] combines a theoretical argument about the nature of power in the modern, interdependent world with a practical critique of the unidimensional vision of the Bush administration, drunk on its image of military prowess and blind to what his subtitle calls the means to success in world politics."
Washington Post Book World

"Mr. Nye develops what might be called the "soft" critique of the Bush administration. The hard critique is the one laid out by Noam Chomsky, Howard Dean and George Soros, all of whom seem to think that Mr. Bush is a neo-Nazi and a far bigger threat to America than Osama bin Laden. Mr. Nye, a Democratic centrist who is dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, takes a much more measured view."
The Wall Street Journal

"This is an indispensable book for anyone wondering what sort of changes to expect in U.S. foreign policy should the Democrats retake the White House later this year. Nye (The Paradox of American Power), now dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, was an assistant secretary of defense in the Clinton administration and is certain to be a key player in a new Democratic administration. In fact, this book could all but guarantee it."
Publishers Weekly

"As brilliant as it is timely, Professor Nye's book is must reading for anyone who cares about the success of America and the world."
Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright

"An important and incisive conceptual contribution to a deeper understanding of world politics and to a wiser foreign policy by one of America's foremost scholars of international politics."
Zbigniew Brzezinski

"When Joe Nye introduced the phrase "soft power" a decade ago, it transformed our way of analyzing global affairs. In this important new book, he explains why this concept of galvanizing influence through the powerful attraction of our culture and ideals, rather than merely through the hard power of our military and economic muscle, is more crucial than ever in a world defined by information flow and threatened by terrorism. With clear examples and brilliant analysis, he shows how the squandering of our soft power has been America's most dangerous failure. Everyone who hopes to see our values prevail should read this book."
Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and president of the Aspen Institute

"American leadership depends upon our ability to persuade and attract, not just command and coerce. America's 'soft power'-—the power and attraction of our culture and values-—must be clearly reflected in our foreign policy and public diplomacy. Soft power cannot be squandered, or we could lose the next generation of the world to anti-Americanism and radical politics. Joe Nye provides the intellectual framework, as well as clear-eyed policy recommendations, for sustaining American leadership in the 21st century."
U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)

"More than ever, the United States needs the support of other countries and peoples, especially moderate Muslims. In Soft Power, Joe Nye explains in his usual lucid way, how we can do a better job presenting our case and making our policies more attractive to others. The advice in this book points the way to success in winning the war on terrorism."
Brent Scowcroft

"Soft power—a term created by Joseph Nye—is the power to attract and persuade others. Nye's excellent book is doubly important. It is a detailed analysis of its content, of its wide distribution in the world, and of its effectiveness—a major addition to and correction of the usual ‘realist' account of power. It is also a sharp critique of current U.S. policies that neglect the benefits of soft power in a world no single state can control by ‘hard' power."
Stanley Hoffmann, Buttenwieser University Professor, Harvard University

"I have witnessed first-hand the amazing effects of ‘soft power'. In 1987, I played at the first outdoor rock concert in the Soviet Union. Every one of the 40,000 people in the crowd knew all the words to every song we played, despite the fact that our records were illegal. Joe Nye has defined soft power, codified it, and, with his straight-forward writing style and scholarly depth, made this book a must-read for the academic and layman alike. Soft Power belongs right next to Sun Tzu, Samuel Huntington, and the latest copy of Rolling Stone... Joe, you rock!"
Jeffrey "Skunk" Baxter, Musician, Defense Analyst