A discrediting trade : A study of the relation between propaganda and soft power

• Main Author: Ljungman, Jakob
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen 2017
• Subjects: Political Science (excluding Public Administration Studies and Globalisation Studies); Statsvetenskap (exklusive studier av offentlig förvaltning och globaliseringsstudier); Political Science; Statsvetenskap
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-314692

This paper identifies some key differences between the traditional theoretical definition of soft power, as defined by Joseph Nye and how soft power is used by the government of the Russian Federation. The study uses a framework on propaganda to complement the general soft power theory. Soft power has many aspects, and this study limits to focus solely on the role of propaganda. The application studied is the Sputnik News Agency’s cover of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The findings conclude that Russian propaganda is dominated not by self-promotion, but strictly by reducing the credibility of its opponents. Propaganda can be both hard and soft in nature, depending on the objective.