The military has long been associated with hard power, yet it is
engaged in public diplomacy as it represents the U.S. abroad and
facilitates the diffusion of ideas. Military Soft Power examines
one such aspect of U.S. public diplomacy: how the United States
extends its influence or "soft power" worldwide through military
educational exchange programs hosted by the United States' elite
military schools, its war and staff colleges. The presence of
international officers at U.S. military schools is substantial, yet
very little is known about the long-term impacts of these
exchanges. This study shows how the exchanges build personal and
professional networks that then serve as important conduits of
ideas between the United States and other countries. These networks
help to improve interoperability between the U.S. military and its
partner nations and to extend U.S. influence through military soft
power rather than through hard power. This is an alternative
bottom-up view of how military organizations can influence
political processes and decisions through the development of
cross-border communities of military professionals. This involves a
two-step model of socialization. First, individuals (military
officers) are socialized by a large political institution (the U.S.
through its war and staff colleges). Second, these individuals
function as idea entrepreneurs, bringing new ideas, beliefs, and
practices home with them. There is a need for policies and programs
that help countries successfully transition from authoritarian
governance to democratic rule as well as countries undergoing
democratic revolutions and those seeking more gradual change.
Exchange programs are one pathway, in which an important group of
citizens (military officers and their families) can experience the
everyday functioning of democratic practices and institutions. This
unique survey provides timely insights into the important political
impacts of military exchange programs and how military institutions
and their personnel influence international politics beyond simply
being used as an instrument of coercion.
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