One my favorite college professors, Joe Nye, passed very recently. He developed the concept of soft power in international relations. Two of the strongest sources of US soft power were international aid and higher ed. The Republican administration has utterly destroyed both. Ask yourself why.
With regard to higher ed, bringing the best and brightest from around to world to the US, to experience life here in a semblance of a liberal democracy (don't laugh, this was back then) — either they stay and we benefit from their skills, or they go home and take our ideals with them.
A modern feudalism ward situation, more or less.
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Nye observed that soft power—benevolent means of shaping the preferences and actions of others—is as important as hard power—military force, economic pressure, etc. in international relations. The GOP has done soft power equivalent of scuttling our navy and selling the Air Force for parts.
"If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition ultimately." -- Gen. James Mattis
In addition to antagonizing our allies, halting foreign aid, and destroying higher ed, GOP attacks on US soft power include: 1) halting education/cultural exchange (Fulbright etc) 2) shuttering US-funded media (PBS, Voice of America etc) 3) abandoning global health and climate commitments.
Soft Power does have a way of pushing back though. The connections and culture of Harvard are quite powerful. I suspect the impact may be found when invites to Mar-a-Lago begin to go unanswered.
Also destroying some of the domestic scientific institutions and regulatory agencies that other countries depend on. Cuts at National Institute of Standards and Technology, CDC disease surveillance, weather data, tsunami monitoring, etc.
Fortunately there are some forms of soft power they can’t touch. Bruce, across the ocean, doing the Lord’s work. “The America I have sung to you about for fifty years is real, and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So we will survive this moment.”
Living in NJ, the number of white men I’ve heard disown Springsteen is abhorrent and absurd.
Dude, back in 2020 most of the maga garbage people on videos had New England accents. I’m not surprised.
www.nj.com/entertainmen...
This is very late in life for anyone above the age of nine to be discovering that Bruce isn’t a fan of racism and capital.
That’s about how old I was when Born in the USA came out and I had no trouble figuring out what Ronald Reagan couldn’t
I thought these people were anti cancel culture
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Seriously. I really don’t get these people. The guy is mad at Bruce so he’s gonna screw over a local bar band. 🤷♂️
I was going to send you that but i figured you were going to see it hopefully!
Wow finally watched the Bruce Manchester video and discovered that Eddie Vedder backed him at Pearl Jam show a few days later, had missed that! The energy from them and both crowds was amazing. Wish we could have it on a constant loop turned up to 11
Love that he does a little “People Get Ready”
What’s the goal? I cannot see any coherent endgame here except removing any possible intellectual resistance to totalitarianism. It’s appalling to watch from across the border - I cannot imagine what it’s like to watch academia and research being burnt to the ground in your own country. Truly sorry.
What else is Harvard known for?Most of the most important leadership personnel in the US government,US business,and even the intelligence service and military also come from this university. Why is it being destroyed? See this documentary and please translate it yourself. www.zdf.de/video/dokus/...
And ambushing world leaders at the White House ain't doing us any favors either. amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.cnn....
I took a course with Joe Nye as an undergraduate on international balance of power. It stuck with me…
Why would they want to scuttle it, instead of command it? Would not the power hungry want hard AND soft power to control?
Fascists don't exercise soft power. Convincing someone to do something because it's in your mutual best interest is cowardly, womanly. Punching a problem until it goes away (or, more accurately, ordering someone else to do so) is the only solution they recognize.
they would sneer and say all of what is being destroyed was just elitist or deep state or some such garbled inanity. cultural revolution has come to America, and it’s as dumb as it ever was.
Good lord - don’t give them any ideas! They’d race to sell off our Air Force and pocket the money for themselves. And still cut Medicaid and Medicare.
Exactly. My very English dad got a Knox Fellowship to study at Harvard. He stayed on, worked in NY and met my mother. I was born in the UK but his work took us back to NY where my brothers were born. He loved America, his family and friends there, and visited often for almost 60 years. Soft power.
they believe their own bullshit, they are white supremacists
no idea why but they appear to be following the Nazi/pol pot/ Orban madness of destroying intellectuals.
I've asked this question many times. A rollback to feudalism is an unsatisfying answer.
Facism supported by the oligarchs the Republicans pander to. With King Trumpety leading the parade of hate and lies.
The only reasons I can think of are 1.) the Project 2025 people are racist AND anti-science AND anti-democratic -OR- 2.) The whole MAGA movement is run by Putin
Tbf being racist almost requires you to be antiscience and anti democratic
it's sooooooo number 1. Not like Putin wouldn't have loved to do this, but this is so in-line with hard right thought FOREVER that we don't need any malign foreign actors to explain it.
Following orders?
Russia Saudi Israel China - they were willing to pay more, Sir!
Sorry for your loss. Trump has destroyed so much goodwill. Putin is thrilled.
They want mass deaths
That’s sad news about Joseph Nye. My condolences.