House of Lords - Persuasion and Power in the Modern World - HL 150

House of Lords - Persuasion and Power in the Modern World - HL 150 PDF

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Lords: Select Committee on Soft Power and the UK's Influence

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014-03-28

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 9780108553554

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While strong Armed Forces remain the bedrock in safeguarding national interests new kinds of power projection are now required, both to make the use of force ('hard power') more effective and in some instances to replace it with the deployment of what has been labelled 'soft power'. Soft power involves getting what a country wants by influencing other countries to want the same thing, through attraction, persuasion and co-option. The information and digital revolution has transformed international relations and foreign policy, meaning that the UK must win over new and wider audiences to its point of view. The UK must change the way it interacts with other nations and communities, and is well-equipped to do so. Soft power methods of exercising international influence must now be combined with older approaches in order to secure and promote the UK's interests and purposes. To ensure that the exercise of soft power takes its place at the core of government policy-making, the Committee calls for the creation of a new strategic unit at the heart of Government. Its purpose would be to assist the Prime Minister in ensuring all Departments understand the importance of soft power and of upholding the UK's reputation, and in swiftly counteracting any potentially damaging policies or messages. While investing in soft power takes time to produce results, the Committee makes a number of recommendations including that BBC World Service's budget is not reduced any further in real terms and that the British Council is properly resourced to encourage the UK's creative industries

Britain's Persuaders

Britain's Persuaders PDF

Author: Helen Ramscar

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-10-21

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0755634284

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'Soft power' is an oft-used term and commands an instinctive understanding among journalists and casual observers, who mostly interpret it as 'diplomatic' or somehow 'persuasive'. 'Hard power' is seen, by contrast, as something more tangible and usually military. But this is a superficial appreciation of a more subtle concept - and one key to Britain's future on the international stage. Britain's Persuaders is a deep exploration of this phenomenon, using new research into the instruments of soft power evident in British society and most relevant to the 2020s. Some, like the British Council or the BBC World Service, are explicitly intended to generate soft power in accordance with governmental intentions; but rather more, like the entertainment industries, sport, professional regulatory bodies, hospitality industries or education sectors have more penetrating soft power effects even as they pursue their own independent or commercial rationales. This book conducts an up-to-date 'audit' of all Britain's principal sources of soft power. Situating its analysis within the current understanding of the 'smart power' of nation states – that desire to employ the full spectrum of policy instruments and national characteristics to achieve policy outcomes, specifically in the context of 'Brexit Britain' where soft power status is certain to loom larger during the 2020s.

Forging a British World of Trade

Forging a British World of Trade PDF

Author: David Thackeray

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-01-31

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0192548670

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Brexit is likely to lead to the largest shift in Britain's economic orientation in living memory. Some have argued that leaving the EU will enable Britain to revive markets in Commonwealth countries with which it has long-standing historical ties. Their opponents maintain that such claims are based on forms of imperial nostalgia which ignore the often uncomfortable historical trade relations between Britain and these countries, as well as the UK's historical role as a global, rather than chiefly imperial, economy. Forging a British World of Trade explores how efforts to promote a 'British World' system, centred on promoting trade between Britain and the Dominions, grew and declined in influence between the 1880s and 1970s. At the beginning of the twentieth century many people from London, to Sydney, Auckland, and Toronto considered themselves to belong to culturally British nations. British politicians and business leaders invested significant resources in promoting trade with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa out of a perception that these were great markets of the future. However, ideas about promoting trade between 'British' peoples were racially exclusive. From the 1920s onwards, colonized and decolonizing populations questioned and challenged the basis of British World networks, making use of alternative forms of international collaboration promoted firstly by the League of Nations, and then by the United Nations. Schemes for imperial collaboration amongst ethnically 'British' peoples were hollowed out by the actions of a variety of political and business leaders across Asia and Africa who reshaped the functions and identity of the Commonwealth.

Tipping Point

Tipping Point PDF

Author: Helen Ramscar

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-11-28

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1788319206

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Britain is facing big security challenges in the 2020s. The decade to come will not be as favourable as the two past decades. For a country as 'globalised' as Britain, security challenges cover a wide spectrum - from terrorism, international crime and cyber attack through to the prospects of war in its own continent or even, again, for its own survival. Brexit has entered these equations and turned them into a political tipping point, from which there is no hiding and no turning back. Tipping Point looks at the immediate and long-term security challenges Britain faces - from security and foreign policy to the crisis of liberal democracy - as well as Britain's security capabilities.

The Changing Face of Warfare in the 21st Century

The Changing Face of Warfare in the 21st Century PDF

Author: Gregory Simons

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-20

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 1317039009

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This study discusses salient trends demonstrated by contemporary warfare of these first years of the 21st century. The authors reinforce previous notions of Fourth Generation Warfare, but most importantly explore the workings of new components and how these have modified the theory and practice of warfare beyond the basic divisions of conventional and unconventional warfare as witnessed in the preceding century. Throughout history there has been a close interaction between politics, communication and armed conflict and a main line of investigation of this book is to track changes that are presumed to have occurred in the way and manner in which armed conflicts are waged. Using cogent examples drawn variously from conflicts of the Arab Spring, the Islamic State and Russian adventurism in South Ossetia, Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, the authors demonstrate the application of Information Warfare, the practice of Hybrid Warfare, and offensive use of diplomacy, communications, economics and international law to obtain political and military advantages against the status quo states of the international community. The authors combine a theoretical framework with concrete empirical examples in order to create a better understanding and comprehension of the current events and processes that shape the character of contemporary armed conflicts and how they are informed and perceived in a highly mediatised and politicised world.

Cybernetics, Warfare and Discourse

Cybernetics, Warfare and Discourse PDF

Author: Anthimos Alexandros Tsirigotis

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-03-10

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 3319508474

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This book critiques mainstream beliefs about cyberwarfare and forges a new path in the way of defining this largely misunderstood concept. Rather than outlining cyberspace as a new technology applied in military operations, here, Tsirigotis rallies against this technocentric account and establishes how cyberspace, first and foremost, should be categorized as a new way to understand war and military power in the Information Age. Using genre analysis and Corpus Linguistics, the author scrutinizes how cyberspace has changed the way the UK comprehends war and military power, and how the cybernetisation of war has manifested itself in Britain's approach to national defense and security.

Brexit and the Commonwealth

Brexit and the Commonwealth PDF

Author: Peter Clegg

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-12-07

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1351385550

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The decision of the UK to ‘Leave’ the European Union (EU) was unexpected, and as a consequence the precise details of what would come next were left very unclear, and still today there is little certainty or agreement over what ‘Brexit’ will actually mean. It is within this context that this edited volume has been produced. The Commonwealth featured quite heavily in the referendum campaign, particularly on the ‘Leave’ side; claiming that a vote for Brexit would allow the UK to re-new and extend links with the countries of the Commonwealth. However, critics highlighted the potential limitations of a new bilateral link, and that in many instances the UK’s role is strengthened by its membership of the EU. The tension between aspiration and likely reality is a key theme of the volume. Another, is how the decision of the UK may have consequences across the Commonwealth in terms of both domestic policy and regional cooperation. In short, the volume shines a detailed light on the historical and contemporary nature of relations between the UK and the Commonwealth. Linked to this, and possibly of greatest utility, is the consideration of how policy should be formulated to best strengthen the relationship in the future. This book originally appeared as a special issue of The Round Table.

Strategic Intelligence for the Future 1

Strategic Intelligence for the Future 1 PDF

Author: Henri Dou

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2019-04-10

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 1119527651

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Information in all its forms is at the heart of the economic intelligence process. It is also a powerful vector of innovation and, more than ever, a balance between economic and societal forces. Strategic Intelligence for the Future 1 analyzes the need for the French economic intelligence to mutate in order to develop the economy, strengthen social cohesion and protect vital interests. This mutation requires a change of attitudes and a new way of thinking, widely open to global change and new technologies. The focus of the French economic intelligence on conventional objectives such as business and the economy does not allow for the integration of its multiple possible fields and thus its global nature. The strategy, foresight and temporal dynamics necessary to the understanding of the world, and the new balance of power and control of complex situations, have thus increased the time needed to put this in place. Both theoretical and practical, this book provides a basis from which to develop "enhanced economic intelligence" leading to the implementation of global security.