Publication

This speech from the Joseph S Nye at the Pacific Forum CSIS Board of Governors Dinner in March 2011 addresses the future of power in the 21st century. He divides the future of power into two main shifts. One refers to power transition, a shift among states from west to east. The other is power diffusion, which is a shift of power away from all states to non-state actors. He argues that classical thinking with regards to power must adjust to recognize that there are many future problems which will require cooperation, and that there are aspects of power which are positive sum, win-win, as well as zero-sum. The use of soft power is essential in order to get people into a cooperative framework.