smart power

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a foreign policy strategy that combines the use of both hard power and soft power instruments in a calibrated and complementary way, choosing the appropriate tool or mix of tools to achieve a given foreign policy objective; the concept, associated with scholars including Suzanne Nossel and popularised by Joseph Nye and Hillary Clinton, argues that the most effective foreign policy is neither purely coercive nor purely persuasive but integrates military strength, economic leverage, diplomacy, cultural engagement, and development assistance according to context; smart power thus avoids the false choice between military and non-military approaches to international challenges