ABSTRACT
Soft power is a conceptual framework that posits that the ability to influence others through attraction rather than coercion or payment is an important form of state power in world politics. This chapter presents evidence that the rise of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) exerting substantial soft power is resulting in two new influ-ences in international relations: creating a new, stronger multilateral platform for policy debate and action, and establishing opportunities for more informed debate and decision-making processes in the environmental arena, particularly in the area of climate change. Coined by the political scientist Joseph Nye, the term soft power refers to the attractiveness of a country’s culture, political ideals, and policies, and the way in which these attributes are used. When a country’s policies are seen as legitimate and attractive in the eyes of the world, soft power is enhanced. Soft power is real power in that states use it in order to achieve their objectives. Yet, it can be haphazard as well, as having cultural attributes or political ideals that are attractors is part of a changing milieu of preferences not always controlled by states. Over the last several decades, the dynamics of the international state-centric system have shifted. Once characterized by state actors and bipolar relations, international relations are now characterized by multiple actors, and an increasingly unstable unipolarity.
