Welcome to Dazzle Diplomacy Where soft power is the new currency and global influence has a soundtrack
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Diza Kakkar
(Student of Class XII)
Mayo College Girls’ School Ajmer Rajasthan Girls’
Welcome to Dazzle Diplomacy Where soft power is the new currency and global influence has a soundtrack
Harvard professor Joseph Nye coined the term “soft power” to describe a country’s ability to shape others’ preferences without force, using culture, values, and appeal instead. So how are countries using culture, tech, and trends to win hearts -and wars-without firing a shot?
In short, hard power wins wars. But soft power wins loyalty and fandoms shape economies and strategies.
Just ask Singapore
In 2024, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour performed only in Singapore and in no other country in Southeast Asia, after the Singaporean government reportedly paid millions for exclusivity. The result? Not just a massive revenue bump (Bloomberg and Forbes estimated it as approximately.2 % of the annual GDP), but a mini diplomatic squabble. Thai and Filipino fans fumed. Politicians tweeted. And pop culture had suddenly entered the realm of ASEAN foreign policy.
Music doesn’t need a passport. It flies over borders, under firewalls, and straight into our playlists. But it’s not just entertainment; it’s diplomacy on vinyl.
While Swifties may debate Lover vs Folklore, let’s not forget that Taylor herself has become a political actor. She’s endorsed candidates, spoken out on LGBTQ+ rights, and is reshaping how young people engage with issues.
BTS, for example, didn’t just perform at the UN in 2021, they made global headlines talking about mental health, climate change, and the post-pandemic generation. Their speech was streamed millions of times. It was one of South Korea’s most successful soft power moves since kimchi and K-dramas.
Similarly, Ukraine’s use of music and digital art during the Russian invasion became a global rallying cry. Ukrainian violinists playing in bomb shelters were more powerful than any state press release. Even protest-music matters. From Beyoncé’s “Formation” which became a flashpoint in US cultural politics to Iranian schoolgirls dancing to protest hijab laws, beats are becoming banners.
Movies have always been subtle geopolitical agents of political dynamics.
In 2023, Vietnam banned Barbie because of a scene showing China’s controversial nine-dash line and its symbol of territorial claims in the South China Sea. A Mattel movie thus became entangled in geopolitical claims. Marvel’s Black Panther was more than a superhero story. Its celebration of African identity and global Black excellence became a cultural moment from Kenya to Korea and Wakanda became a beautiful vision of what an empowered Africa could look like. This was a classic cinematic tool that triggered debates on reparations and global inequality. In Top Gun, Maverick, the Taiwanese and Japanese flags were mysteriously missing from Tom Cruise’s jacket, signifying a quiet nod to China’s influence on Hollywood.
Today, Netflix is more powerful than many embassies. And Spotify might just be a Ministry of Culture.
South Korea invested over $500 million in Netflix to promote Korean content globally. The result was a cultural explosion and ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Parasite’ became global icons. Suddenly, Korean language classes in U.S. universities soared by 78%. Their tourism has seen an exponential rise in the past decade and girls from 16-60 casually drop words like “oppa” and “daebak.” That’s diplomacy in real-time. ‘Fauda’, criticised and praised alike for its narrative, brought the Israel-Palestine conflict to life in a way no textbook could, and the youth actively debated the moral complexities of a region that has intensely polarised opinions for both ends of the spectrum. Shows like ‘The Diplomat’ offer insights into the nuances of the UK-US relations and several others emotionally engage viewers on global issues.
If you think history and diplomacy are about old men shaking hands in black and white photos, think again! Now, it is about how nations build identities and how they sell it.
The U.S. had Elvis and Hollywood. The UK had The Beatles and the BBC. Today, countries are crafting their “brand” using pop culture, language, fashion, food, and even memes. Japan has won hearts with their anime and manga and boosted Japanese tourism by turning iconic sites into pop culture pilgrimages. Even Rwanda has become a media darling thanks to its gorilla tourism and clean cities. All this is narrated beautifully by travelvloggers and influencers who have rebranded the genocide-torn nation to a beacon of sustainability and biodiversity. With high-profile visitors like Ellen DeGeneres and Leonardo DiCaprio, this quiet geopolitical flex has repositioned Rwanda as a future-forward African nation. China’s Belt and Road Initiative builds ports and highways. But its Confucius Institutes, Chinese dramas, and panda diplomacy are all part of a much softer influence campaign. These are just a few examples of cultural charm with political intent.
Meanwhile, countries like Saudi Arabia are rapidly rebranding their image through music festivals and cinema. The MDLBEAST Soundstorm music festival, backed by the Saudi government, draws in international artists and global eyeballs. It’s a way of saying, “Look at us- we’re modern, open, relevant.” Jeddah hosted the IPL auction and that too in a country with no obvious connection to cricket. Through this, Aramco expanded its sustainable and affordable energy mission to a global cricket audience of more than a billion fans. For the Saudi royals, cricket is just one more weapon in its economic arsenal of sporting investments that fits in with the Crown Prince’s ‘Vision 2030’ to rehabilitate the Saudi image. And this is what ‘Sportswashing’ is- a government laundering its reputation by hosting major sports events and investing in overseas teams.
Techno-humanitarian diplomacy, another layer in the new realm of international affairs, is building soft power in strategic regions because nothing says,” I am here to help” more than a drone dropping vaccines (and a foreign policy agenda). The return address on most of these drones is mostly,” Made in America”, which means strategic alliances and soft power branding, and “Courtesy China” which is bundled up with infrastructure loans and foreign policy favours.
In 2024, the US established a Cyberspace and Digital Connectivity Fund. By investing 50 million USD, they intend to build global cyber security partnerships, promote safe 5G and regulate AI norms. While the US poured millions into cyber-shields, China’s APT31, harvested credentials, manipulated access to Cyberspace Solarium and that was a cyber soft win.
Power used to be about armies. Now, it’s about algorithms. International affairs today are as much about swag as they are about sanctions.
But don’t be fooled it is still politics. Soft power looks glamorous, but it is strategic.
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