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"The influence of soft power is very difficult to measure. It is associated with intangible resources such as culture or ideology, as well as the ability to use them skillfully in order to gain allies through attraction rather than coercion or payments. After the collapse of communism, Russia retained a huge military potential from the Soviet Union but largely lost its cultural and ideological appeal. Therefore, in order to rebuild its external attractiveness (at least in the post-Soviet space), Russia began to develop its foreign policy according to soft power principles. But Russian policy-makers misinterpreted the concept of soft power. They failed to appreciate the idea of partnerships with clear advantages for both sides in the near and long term. Instead, Moscow perceives soft power as the capacity to influence, or even manipulate, public opinion in target countries.
Although Russia possesses influential soft power channels to post-Soviet states like access to its labor market, language proximity, a common culture, and enormous energy resources, Moscow has been unable to enhance its attractiveness among its closest neighbors. Russian authorities focus most of all on loyal constituencies (such as compatriots living abroad) and seek to mobilize people who already follow Russia's goals and principles. Russia's insufficient soft power activism in the post-Soviet area is also due to its neo-imperial attitude toward neighboring states. Moscow is not able to offer them an attractive vision of integration without building patterns of strong dependence. Therefore, its proposal of close political and economic cooperation seems quite dangerous for the sovereignty and long-term development of its neighbors.
The notion of soft power holds strong normative potential based on domestic standards and norms of social and political life that are practiced in the state seeking to enhance its influence abroad. It is impossible to create an appealing external image without dealing effectively with domestic problems. Russia has many problems with corruption, the abuse of human rights, the lack of democracy, and the rule of law. Thus its model of political and socio-economic transformation cannot be seen as a positive example for other post-Soviet countries.
As soft powers usually use the most transparent and democratic measures to build their external attractiveness, the only way for Russia to become a real soft power in the post-Soviet area is to introduce serious internal reforms that focus on the liberalization of its economy and the democratization of its political system. It is only through real democratic change that Russia will reach its soft power potential." [author's abstract]

This Element presents an overarching analysis of Chinese visions and practices of soft power. Maria Repnikova's analysis introduces the Chinese theorization of the idea of soft power, as well as its practical implementation across global contexts. The key channels or mechanisms of China's soft power examined include Confucius Institutes, international communication, education and training exchanges, and public diplomacy spectacles. The discussion concludes with suggestions for new directions for the field, drawing on the author's research on Chinese soft power in Africa

India is a country experiencing tremendous eco­nomic growth while its political ambitions are aiming higher and higher as well. The country is trying to increase its global power using re­sources and instruments of soft power. India is learning this art anew, using its rich culture and reaching back to its past traditions. References made to religious diversity and democracy are another powerful tool in the state arsenal.There has been a reorientation in foreign policy as well, which refocused on supporting the state's economic development by seeking and maintaining good relations with foreign countries. Soft power instruments have grown in importance, especially as concerns culture and values, which combined with peaceful poli­cies made for a truly great opportunity of using soft power.

India is a country experiencing tremendous eco­nomic growth while its political ambitions are aiming higher and higher as well. The country is trying to increase its global power using re­sources and instruments of soft power. India is learning this art anew, using its rich culture and reaching back to its past traditions. References made to religious diversity and democracy are another powerful tool in the state arsenal.There has been a reorientation in foreign policy as well, which refocused on supporting the state's economic development by seeking and maintaining good relations with foreign countries. Soft power instruments have grown in importance, especially as concerns culture and values, which combined with peaceful poli­cies made for a truly great opportunity of using soft power.

In the Netherlands, there is the tradition of appointing a National Architect. This function expanded over time into an advisor for a national policy for built infrastructure and later for large national projects as well. Today, it is an advisory team, called the 'College van Rijks Adviseurs' (CRa), which consists of an urbanist, an architect and a landscape architect. Their impact is giving the national government (unsolicited) advice by the power of design, of demonstration; a 'soft power'. The red line in the story of the CRa is the need for a new chapter in Dutch spatial planning. They therefore created Panorama NL, an advice to the national government on how to develop a spatial vision for the Netherlands, what it includes, and how to formulate it, and which partners to include. Panorama NL is about storytelling, about how to offer a positive perspective in society to everyone. It is a book and it is also an app, in which you can see literally 360-degree panorama at eye level. Panorama NL paints a picture of what we should do and why we should do it. But the next question is: 'How do we actually do it?' This led to a competition called 'Panorama Lokaal' (the local panorama), which looks into post-war residential neighborhoods at a city's fringe, facing the countryside. Municipalities are challenged to think about how global and national challenges could help to qualitatively improve these areas. A new situation: national government is no more just providing funding but also needs to participate with a vision, be able to organize partnerships, with the most important scale of operations being the regional scale. This means that people need to be educated differently; at the ministry, at the national government level, and also at the university. The aim is to create T-shaped skills: a specialist in one specific domain or profession, but also able to communicate their specialist knowledge with people from totally different backgrounds, like economists or sociologists, laymen or politicians. It is regaining the Dutch Urbanism Approach: the ability to create a vision and develop it through an interdisciplinary approach into an integrated design.

Beijing's political 'charm offensive' in Africa has ostensibly made China a major player on the continent. The source of this success in China's African policy is sometimes seen in China's political and economic 'attractiveness'. It is true that China is building a positive image targeted to the audience in Africa, promoting for example the vision of 'win-win' mutual economic benefits from cooperation. This endeavour is close to the concept of 'soft power'. However, soft power is about dynamic relationships between an agent and the subject of attraction. Hence, the general growth of Chinese soft power and its success depends not only on whether China can sell its image to African states, but also whether African states are willing to buy this. Adapted from the source document.

PART 1- SOFT POWER ACTORS: A supreme court for history? UNESCO as battleground for the legitimacy of historiographical narratives -- Spatial disposition of UNESCO's Cultural Heritage and Soft Power: a survey on the possibility of reification of power discrepancies -- Polycam and the power of heritage registration in the palm of your hand: UNESCO's strategy to safeguard memory in ukraine war -- Peace and Hiroshima's Cultural Heritage: exploring the soft-power of paradiplomacy and international youth engagement for a Culture of Peace -- Cultural Mercosur: a regional vision of cultural heritage as Soft Power -- Heritage diplomacy matters? Brazil's foreign policy and South-South Cooperation in cultural heritage -- Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Brazilian Soft Power: exploring the relationship in international politics -- Brazil's Active and Loyal Politics with the African Continent on the Relationship of Soft Power and Heritage (2002-2008) -- The possible paths of power: soft power on the agenda -- PART 2 – SOFT POWER SPACES: Universalism and diversity: the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention -- Decolonizing the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. A question of rupturing the perpetuation of hierarchy of memories and knowledge -- The African soft power: the case of Republic Democratic of Congo -- Cultural experiences from Brazil and Africa: the management of intangible cultural heritage within the scope of soft power -- The Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage: an important soft power strategy -- Destruction of antiquities, museums and archaeological sites in Syria during the war: methods of protecting them -- Circulation of Sacred Art in the Internet Underworld -- "We're back": Background and outcomes of repatriation, return and restitution of cultural property -- African museums in the face of the debate around the decolonization of museums: cases of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau -- PART 3 - SOFT POWER BORDERS: Cultural heritage and international cooperation: Lusophone diplomatic strategies -- Between the power of the museum and the power of the community: case studies in Portugal and Brazil -- Museum Documentation as a weapon of Soft Power -- Energy transition: Chinese capital in the renewable energy production in Brazil -- Timorese Tais: Protection and preservation of a traditional weaving technique -- Soft Power and the diffusion of Brazilian music -- Collective memory of public space: a path for preservation through affective appropriation -- The decolonial study of cultural heritage in the school environment: Historical consciousness in development -- Soft Power, Heritage and Memory during Colonialism and Post Independence in Mozambique.

When considering the damage caused by the hard power of military intervention, soft power comes across as an appealing alternative. Soft power depends on diplomatically appealing to others to gain favor and influence rather than using coercive force, offering a more peaceful means of engaging in international relations. However, whether soft power is as effective as hard power and how it can be achieved is a source of debate. Through the diverse perspectives in this volume, readers will gain an understanding of the differing perspectives on soft power's efficacy as a political strategy and the ways it can be implemented.

"Faced with external competition, the Kremlin is preoccupied with reviving internal foundations for Russia's soft power appeal." Second in a series on soft power around the world.