Understanding 'sharp power,' an approach to international affairs that involves efforts at censorship, or the use of manipulation to sap the integrity of independent institutions - my essay in @JoDemocracy bit.ly/2NFjyrt
As is stated in the December 2017 report by @NEDemocracy @ThinkDemocracy, it is called “sharp” because it seeks to “pierce, penetrate, or perforate” the political and information environments of targeted countries
Sharp power may be used to degrade the integrity of independent
institutions through manipulation, as when Chinese entities acting on
behalf of the communist party-state disguise their initiatives as commercial
ventures or as grassroots civil society initiatives
institutions through manipulation, as when Chinese entities acting on
behalf of the communist party-state disguise their initiatives as commercial
ventures or as grassroots civil society initiatives
Sharp power may also employ distraction. Russia has used such methods to exploit the open electoral and media sectors in a growing number of countries, including the United States
Sharp power takes advantage of the asymmetry between free and unfree systems. Open, democratic systems are rich targets for authoritarian regimes whose commercial activities and political initiatives are now regular features of life in democracies
It is within this context that sharp power, neither really soft nor hard, is able to flourish
The influence platforms that the authoritarians have embedded in democratic societies go beyond the educational sphere to embrace the realms of commerce, culture, the media, technology, and think tanks as well
Through sharp power, the repressive values of authoritarian systems - which encourage top-down authority, censorship, and the monopolization of power - are projected outward
Today leading authoritarian regimes are taking the realm of ideas seriously and giving it major resources and attention. Their efforts to speak to the world, to shape understanding, and to subtly undercut or overtly assail the democracies should not be underestimated
The leading authoritarian regimes mean to reforge the established rules and norms of international politics. If the democracies cover their eyes and ears, they do so at their peril
The authorities in Beijing and Moscow today represent the leadership of the “unfree world.” As long as China and Russia remain unfree societies in which independent institutions are unable to hold the top leadership to account, these regimes will continue to project sharp power
