Countries that use hard power – where the focus is strictly on military strength – will soon be found only in the history books, according to Phil Seib.

“I am firmly convinced that the era of hard power is, if not over, very limited now,” says Seib,  journalism professor and director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School. “The effectiveness of hard power is very limited. I think if the United States is going to continue to be a preeminent influence in the world, it is going to have to shift to soft power.”

Seib, the author of 17 books, says there are many paths a country such as the United States can take to create effective soft power. Student and culture exchanges, giving wider dissemination to information on religious tolerance and our justice system, and non-propagandistic media broadcasting are among the many options he cites.

“There’s recognition that the United States cannot force people in other countries to do what America wants,” he says. “We can perhaps convince them. That really is what public diplomacy is all about. People aren’t going to be friendly toward the U.S. unless they want to. You can’t win international friendships through military force. Soft power is more sensible and more effective.”

Seib sees USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School as the first stop for greater understanding and a more sophisticated global perspective.

“It’s important to mention how bright the students here are,” he says. “It makes everything else better and is an incentive for research. That’s another reason to come to USC Annenberg – you’re surrounded by extraordinary colleagues and students."

USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School