Do the BRICS possess soft power?

Abstract

Has soft power in the emerging world risen commensurately to its hard power? Can the BRICS’ soft power rival that of the West as emerging powers expand their global presence? An analysis of the questions above shows that, despite remarkable economic growth during the first decade of the twenty-first century, BRICS countries’ capacity to enhance their soft power is highly uneven, and they still struggle to rival established Western powers in most of the concept’s dimensions. Still, the BRICS grouping, created on the basis of economic forecasts, is increasingly being used as a platform to enhance soft power, primarily through the creation of the New Development Bank and a series of other institutions.

Keywords:

• BRICS
• emerging powers
• soft power
• multipolarization
• western-centrism

Notes on contributor

Oliver Stuenkel is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) in São Paulo. He is the author of the IBSA: The Rise of the Global South? (Routledge Global Institutions, 2014), The BRICS and the Future of Global Order (Lexington, 2015) and Post-Western World (Polity, 2016).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. For example, Jacques (2012), When China Rules the world. See also: Kenny (2014), Lee (2012), and Leeb (2011).

2. Two examples are Kagan (2013) and Jones (2014).

3. See also Nye (2013).

4. See, for example, a study conducted by Ernst and Young (2012) or a ‘country brand index’ (Berry 2013).

5. While Brazil is generally seen in a positive light all over the world, its image in South America is mixed and has reached low points in the past years. For example, the Bolivian public has at times been very critical of resource exploitation by Brazilian companies. See, for example, Neitsch (2011).

6. Many other examples show that the concept fails to withstand more rigorous scrutiny. How to think about cultural products that generate ire and rejection abroad? Do movies like ‘The Interview’, which ridicule Kim Jong-Un, reduce US soft power in North Korea?

7. Read more at Nye (2014).