Soft Power Beyond the West - (Iran and the Caucasus Monographs) (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This collective volume re-evaluates Joseph Nye's concept of soft power, arguing that its original Western, liberal framework no longer aligns with twenty-first-century multipolarity. While historically linked to post-Cold War American hegemony, soft power has shifted due to the rise of non-Western actors, including China, Turkey, Japan, Vietnam and Russia, which project influence through regional narratives rather than universal norms. These emerging powers often leverage culture, economic support, technological export, and anti-colonial memory to challenge Western influence. Consequently, the traditional distinction between soft and hard power is progressively blurred, as cultural influence is now deeply intertwined with strategic competition. The book concludes that modern global influence is increasingly derived from embodying distinct, non-Western alternatives, transforming soft power into a tool for geopolitical competition rather than universalistic persuasion.

Contributors
Garnik S. Asatrian, Georgi Asatryan, Maria Chizhevskaya, Mahesh Ranjan Debata, Nina Grigoreva, Alena Korobochkina, Svetlana Krivokhizh, Mher D. Sahakyan, Elena Soboleva, Maria Soloshcheva, and Evgeny Zelenev.

About the Author

Garnik S. Asatrian is Professor of Iranian Studies and Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian-Armenian University who has authored numerous monographs and scholarly articles on Iranian linguistics, Kurdish studies, and related fields. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Iran and the Caucasus and its accompanying monograph series, both published by Brill, which serve as leading platforms for research on the Irano-Caucasian world.

Matthias Weinreich, PhD (Oriental Studies), Leningrad State University, lecturer at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian-Armenian University. He has published monographs and articles on Iranian and Indo-Arian Studies.

Evgeny Zelenev, Dr. Sc. (History, 2000), Saint Petersburg State University, is Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at HSE University St. Petersburg. He has published monographs and articles on the Mamluk Sultanate, History of Egypt, Philosophy of Sciences and Political Studies.

Contributors
Garnik S. Asatrian, Georgi Asatryan, Maria Chizhevskaya, Mahesh Ranjan Debata, Nina Grigoreva, Alena Korobochkina, Svetlana Krivokhizh, Mher D. Sahakyan, Elena Soboleva, Maria Soloshcheva, and Evgeny Zelenev.