The concept of soft power was developed based on the example of one great power, the USA, which dominated its use after the Cold War. Soft power was thus linked to the willingness of other actors in the international community to accept US hegemony and the promotion of American ideas and values in the resulting unipolar international system. Since the beginning of the 21st century, however, a multipolar international system has emerged, in which several great powers compete, most notably the USA, EU and China. This master's thesis examines how the change in the nature of the international system affects soft power as the capability of great powers. This master's thesis places the beginning of the multipolar international system in 2010. I measure the soft power of the three major powers in three periods (the 1990s, 2010, and 2019) primarily through McClory's research (2010, 2019), with a focus on the sub-index of culture and governance and, in 2019, also digital inclusion. The analysis shows that the EU and USA are still very active in the multipolar international system in soft power capability and influence. China has significantly increased its capabilities but still lags in all sub-indices. The analysis also shows a decline in the capabilities of the liberal hegemonies – the USA and EU, in the governance sub-index, as although they are still leading, their level of democratic quality is declining. In terms of digital inclusion, liberal hegemonies maintain high development, while China is rapidly improving its digital capabilities.
|
