The Routledge Handbook of Soft Power, 2nd Edition

3 THE GIFT OF GRACE Soft power, charisma, and transatlantic relations

Hendrik W Ohnesorge

DOI: 10.4324/9781003189756-4

Introduction

Ever since Joseph S Nye, Jr introduced the term ‘soft power’ into the scholarly and political dictionary some 30 years ago, it has become a household phrase in the study and practice of international relations alike. While deeply rooted in debates about American declinism prevalent in the late 1980s (Nye 2021), its academic study and empirical application have long-since transcended its intellectual and geographical place of origin. In fact, nation-states, as well as other actors around the world, presently contest for soft power in what could be termed a global race for attraction, frequently nourishing and ...