Reshaping U.S. Smart Power: Towards a Post-Pandemic Security Architecture

• Main Author: Iskren Ivanov
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Henley-Putnam University 2020-09-01
• Series: Journal of Strategic Security
• Online Access: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol13/iss3/3

COVID19 turned out to be one of the deadliest diseases in history. The United States faced a series of new challenges after the Coronavirus spread throughout the world. China is taking advantage of the pandemic to challenge the U.S. global dominance. The main purpose of this article is to analyze the role of the United States in the postpandemic security architecture at a global level. The basic claim of the article is that Washington should reshape U.S. smart power in order to preserve the American global dominance. The article’s claim rests on the assumption that smart power is the most effective instrument of U.S. Foreign Policy in the post-Cold War era. It was U.S. smart power that allowed Washington to maintain its global leadership after the 9/11 attacks. The Coronacrisis will have longterm consequences for the global security architecture. However, this article argues that the Coronavirus pandemic will not change the global order.