[VandyILL]

This reaffirms my belief that the US chasing Snowden is a bad idea solely because it demonstrates the lack of soft & hard power the US has on the international stage these days.

While people may not notice this small act I feel it's kinda what the US deserves in this instance.

[eli_gottlieb]

America has spent too much hard power to have that much soft power left.

[VandyILL]

Agreed, although they're not mutually exclusive. Just happens the way America has exercised it's hard power has diminished its soft power. We've been a hammer since World War II but nobody else has even been using nails.

[tome]

I recall there were quite a lot of nails in postwar USSR.

[VandyILL]

Fair. I guess my statement was way too generalized, but was meant to be reflective about a slower shift over time. There's still nails around today but also many other moving parts & sometimes it feels like the approach hasn't fully adapted.

[eli_gottlieb]

They're not mutually exclusive, but soft power relies on having the appearance of not needing your hard power. Soft power is when you arrive to someone's office dressed up really nice; have a lovely conversation with them over coffee and pastries about what they're going to do this year; and at the end you look at your business companions and casually remark, "I don't even know why I brought these huge, muscled-looking ex-mobsters with me at all."