Soft Power

      Soft Power, according to Joseph S. Nye, is a country's ability to attract others to its point of view. In other words, it is a "pull" factor in getting others to work toward a country's goals. In terms of a metaphor, it is a carrot dangled in front of a pig. Hard Power, on the other hand, is a country's ability to force others to serve its goals. Going back to the pig metaphor, this would be the stick that threatens to hit the pig should it disobey.
      Soft Power would be like the United States to get another country, say Great Britain to join in an economic agreement because that would be beneficial to both countries. Hard Power would be like the United States getting a trade agreement out of Japan because a squadron of armored gunships appeared in Tokyo harbor and it would be incredibly unwise to refuse at that moment.
      According to Nye, Soft Power comes from having an attractive culture, upstanding political values, and moral foreign policies. In his article in Foreign Policy magazine, he notes that America's substantial Soft Power comes from its culture. It makes sense to seek economic partnerships with American business because of its economy power all across the globe. At the same time, American politics stay true to American morals and its foreign policy is ostensibly aimed towards improving living conditions. (That improving living conditions coincide with advancing American interests is probably why one can both love and hate American policy overseas at the same time.) Additionally, the diffusion of American culture throughout the world makes Americans seem less scary, in contrast to our often-skewed perceptions of other countries.
      On the other hand, Nye talks about China and Russia's heavy-handed attempts to use Soft Power, which are portrayed as misguided and misunderstood. Both countries strike me as reminiscent of the to-be-colonized peoples of the European Imperial Age trying to buy firearms but not adopt the industry and discipline necessary to fight back effectively.
      China invests in Africa to combat poverty and builds schools in Manila, but continues to crack down on human rights. Russia's Putin talks about the need to use Soft Power but uses his military on Georgia. Already, they've shot themselves in the criteria that call for upstanding political values and foreign policies. The only thing that remains is having an attractive culture, of which China has some, and Russia has little. Russia, incidentally, also has few allies, while China has strong trade relations because of its manufacturing base.
     In the absence of substantial Chinese cultural diffusion, it has to keep its Soft Power policies afloat by being a massively powerful economy, which it does with aplomb. There is a phrase I heard once that would sum up China's Soft Power cornerstone for the time being: "If God made everything, He would live somewhere in China."
      If China and Russia want to have things their way by doing the political equivalent of asking nicely, they'll have to prove themselves to be "nice" countries first.

So... I Bought a Llama

   Yes, I actually bought a llama.

   While going through my family’s daily dose of L.L. Bean, J. Crew and Pottery Barn catalogs during last year’s holiday season, I found a smaller catalog, with a sheep on the cover that immediately caught my attention.  Upon seeing the Heifer International logo on the bottom of the cover, I began to recall the church announcements I often heard around the holiday season, regarding Heifer International and how you can literally buy a cow for somebody in another country for only a small sum of money.  Curious, I flipped through the catalog to see what the options were, and finally saw a llama – a gift surprisingly fun and affordable, with its price of $150.

   Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, Heifer International is a global nonprofit organization that works to eradicate hunger and poverty worldwide.  As a way to meet the needs of families and individuals in over the forty countries impacted so far, Heifer International offers a wide variety of donation options, ranging from sending a girl to school, to starting a business, to buying goats.  In operation since 1944, Heifer International has helped over 18 million families around the globe restart their lives, and build a sense of hope within each of the communities affected.

While I still have yet to watch the movie,
I have heard it is just as intellectually fulfilling
and eye-opening as the book.

   As I was reading Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s novel, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, at the time, I was inspired by the novel’s stories of the attempts women made to recreate lives for themselves in their oppressed circumstances.  Thus, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity Heifer International offered, and began to save up for my llama as my paychecks began to come in.

   I will admit that I was skeptical of Heifer International, at first, and felt uneasy as I began to save up my money.  Yet, after doing my research, I was able to find Heifer International mentioned in not only the foreign aid packets I received in my International Relations class, but also in smaller online newspapers, and the New York Times, with an article written by Kristof, himself!  With this reassurance, I gradually saved up all of my money, and finally made my purchase last December, in hopes that the recipient family would receive their llama before the New Year.

   While I sometimes wonder how the recipient family's llama is doing, wherever it is in the world, it still feels incredible to know that I was able to invest my money in something worthwhile.  Thus, if you’re ever feeling generous, or are just curious about Heifer International and its donation options, I highly recommend looking on Heifer International’s website.  Who knows, maybe you will want to buy something, too!

     Heifer International also allows you to make donations under somebody else’s name.  I know several people that have bought each other various animals for each other’s birthdays and holiday gifts, and they have all been very happy with their purchases.