Author talk: Martin Gelin on soft power
Photo by Nikolai Jakobsen
"Authoritarian states invest enormous resources in culture, communication and propaganda to win hearts, opinions and influence – while democratic societies often see soft power as a “luxury” they can no longer afford." Martin Gelin.
Soft power is the ability to influence others not by force, economic pressure or military power but by culture, political ideals or policies. The term was coined by political scientist Joseph Nye in the late 1980s.
Martin Gelin is a Swedish journalist and award-winning author of seven books on American politics, foreign affairs and culture. He has written for The Guardian, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Foreign Policy, Slate and Dagens Nyheter.
His book Rules of Attraction: Why Soft Power Matters in Hard Times is published i Swedish in November 2025 by Volante, and in English in 2026.
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