4. Impact of Globalization on World Politics:
“Global Power Shifts” Joseph Nye
https://www.y
.com/watch?v=796LfXwzIUk
In this TED Talk, Joseph Nye discusses two changes going on in the 21st century:
 Power transition: the impact of the rise of Asian (mostly Chinese) power
 Power diffusion: how the power of nation states is increasingly challenged by the
rising power of “non-state” actors.
1. How does Nye define power? What is soft power?
2. Power transition: what does Nye say about the reality of the “narrative” of US
decline” in the world.
3. What problems does Nye see with “linear projections” of the Chinese economy’s
surpassing the US—why are projections not as reliable as they might seem?
4. Why is the myth of American decline so dangerous for the formulation of national
policy--what is really the greatest danger in our era of “power transition,”
according to Nye? (Note the ideas of “power” and “fear” in this discussion.)
5. Note Nye comments about 3 layers of power—like “a three-dimensional
chessboard”—what are the 3 dimensions of power? What is the most challenging
“layer” and what’s the only real solution to fixing problems in this layer?
6. Is all power “zero sum” or can it be “positive sum?” Give an example.
7. What is “smart power?”
8. Can national interests be “positive sum?”
Joseph Nye is University Distinguished Service Professor and former Dean of the
Harvard's Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has served as
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Chair of the National
Intelligence Council, and Deputy Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance,
Science and Technology. His most recent book is The Power to Lead; The Future of
Power; Presidential Leadership and the Creation of the American Era.