The Age of Sharp Power: China, Russia and Iran: The Interference is not Soft. The Italian Case

Abstract

Intro -- Title -- Copyright -- Table of Contents -- Introduction, by Francesco Bechis -- 1 Once Upon a Time, There was Soft Power -- Soft power and public diplomacy -- Cultural exchange -- From manuals to constitutions -- Art and soft power -- Sports and soft power -- The media and soft power -- Soft power or propaganda? -- Notes -- 2 Power Becomes Sharp -- The link with authoritarian regimes -- The status of the debate -- The echo on the Old Continent -- An unprecedented threat -- Notes -- 3 The ABCs of Sharp Power -- Propaganda and sharp power -- "Telling a good story": the Chinese strategy -- Information or cyberwarfare? The Russian strategy -- Not only China and Russia: the Middle East -- Sharp cash: the Chinese New Silk Road -- Hitting the gas: the power of energy -- Notes -- 4 Where the Battle is Fought, in Cyberspace -- Cyberwarfare: nobody is safe -- The Russian Bear and cyber warfare: a successful marriage -- Glasses, coat and tie: the cyber face of the Dragon -- Iran: the last to arrive (not to be underestimated) -- Notes -- 5 The Russian Bear's Tracks in Italy -- From soft power … -- … to sharp power -- (Successful) attempts at agenda setting -- Who funds online propaganda? -- From the web to the polls -- Linked, from the start -- If the trolls enter the action -- Notes -- 6 China is Close, Very Close -- The Dragon and the Boot -- When the claws come out … -- Not just Confucius: the Italian-Chinese connection -- Italy is also present on the Silk Road -- The designs on strategic infrastructure -- Red, yellow, green: continuous links between Rome and Beijing -- Notes -- Conclusions -- Acknowledgments.