Military Soft Power
eBook - PDF

Military Soft Power

Public Diplomacy through Military Educational Exchanges

  1. 205 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Military Soft Power

Public Diplomacy through Military Educational Exchanges

About this book

The military has long been associated with hard power, yet it is engaged in public diplomacy as it represents the U.S. abroad and facilitates the diffusion of ideas. Military Soft Power examines one such aspect of U.S. public diplomacy: how the United States extends its influence or "soft power" worldwide through military educational exchange programs hosted by the United States' elite military schools, its war and staff colleges. The presence of international officers at U.S. military schools is substantial, yet very little is known about the long-term impacts of these exchanges. This study shows how the exchanges build personal and professional networks that then serve as important conduits of ideas between the United States and other countries. These networks help to improve interoperability between the U.S. military and its partner nations and to extend U.S. influence through military soft power rather than through hard power.

This is an alternative bottom-up view of how military organizations can influence political processes and decisions through the development of cross-border communities of military professionals. This involves a two-step model of socialization. First, individuals (military officers) are socialized by a large political institution (the U.S. through its war and staff colleges). Second, these individuals function as idea entrepreneurs, bringing new ideas, beliefs, and practices home with them. There is a need for policies and programs that help countries successfully transition from authoritarian governance to democratic rule as well as countries undergoing democratic revolutions and those seeking more gradual change. Exchange programs are one pathway, in which an important group of citizens (military officers and their families) can experience the everyday functioning of democratic practices and institutions.

This unique survey provides timely insights into the important political impacts of military exchange programs and how military institutions and their personnel influence international politics beyond simply being used as an instrument of coercion.

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Yes, you can access Military Soft Power by Carol Atkinson in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & American Government. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. List of Tables
  3. List of Figures
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Chapter 1. Military Soft Power in American Foreign Policy
  6. PART I. THEORY AND ARGUMENT
  7. Chapter 2. Political Socialization and Educational Exchanges
  8. Chapter 3. Building U.S. Military Soft Power
  9. PART II. IMPACT OF MILITARY EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES ON PARTICIPANTS
  10. Chapter 4. The History of Educational Exchanges at U.S. War and Staff Colleges
  11. Chapter 5. Backgrounds, Social Integration, and Promotion Potential of the Exchange Officers
  12. Chapter 6. Perspectives and Opinions of the Exchange Officers
  13. PART III. IMPACT OF MILITARY EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES ON DEMOCRATIC TRENDS
  14. Chapter 7. Impact on the Development of Democratic Institutions
  15. Chapter 8. Impact on Democratic Practices
  16. Chapter 9. Conclusion and Policy Implications
  17. References
  18. Index
  19. About the Author