PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · Key Concepts in International Relations
What, according to Joseph Nye, are the major sources of a country’s soft power? Discuss its relevance in the contemporary world politics.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
~~~ R1 soft power (Nye) = make others want what you want → attraction / co-option, not coercion → set against hard power * R2 power is not only force → Nye adds a second face: attraction through appeal → opens the three sources
Body flow
three sources → culture (when attractive) → political values: democracy / human rights / rule of law (applied consistently) → foreign policy (when legitimate, just) → US illustration → relevance rises with interdependence + information tech → instruments: cultural diplomacy / education / media (yoga, China’s broadcasting, EU multilateralism) → issue areas: institutional reform, climate justice, peacekeeping
Counter-view
attraction alone insufficient → Jaishankar: soft power without hard power is pointless → Nye’s own move to smart power (hard + soft)
Conclusion routes
s R1 attraction now integral to world politics → but supplements, not replaces, material capability *» R2 soft power reshapes influence in an interdependent, information age → yet effective only when anchored in hard power (smart power)
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
