by Shawn Powers
In the November/December edition of Foreign Policy, Bruce Jentleson and Steven Weber welcome their readers into a “new age of ideology.” In an essay titled “America’s Hard Sell,” Jentleson and Weber argue that a strategy relying on the “five Big Ideas” that have historically been the foundation for American leadership and influence is certain to fail. The five big ideas—(1) Peace is better than war; (2) Hegemony, at least of the benign sort, is better that a balance of power; (3) Capitalism is better that socialism; (4) Democracy is better than dictatorship; and (5) Western culture is better than all the rest—are each becoming increasingly contested around the world. Different models of leadership, governance, economic policy and cultural value present serious competition to the American paragon, a model that has been essential to its “brand,” soft power and international influence throughout the 20th century.
Jentleson and Weber point to America’s “appeal for a war of ideas to defeat international terrorism” as a metaphor for America’s failure to grasp the nature of political influence in today’s age of networks and information. “Ideas don’t go to combat; they vie for the commitment of individuals in an arena that is less like a battlefield and more like a marketplace.” Indeed, Jentleson and Weber suggest that international influence—and I would add, public diplomacy—is now best understood in terms of a marketplace of ideas rather than a “battle” for “hearts and minds,” a reframing that dramatically changes the rules of international politics. Similar to Joseph Nye’s argument for the increased import of soft power in international affairs, Jentleson and Weber contend that in today’s marketplace of place of ideas, “leaders don’t issues orders; they make offers…Market leaders don’t depend heavily on private deals or subterfuge to hold their bargains in place; there’s too much transparency to offer inconsistent options to different constituents…Put simply: In a marketplace of ideas, we offer and they choose.”
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