Polish think tanks' activity in the european soft power policy
| Autor | Alexandr Grigorev - Nikolai Grishin - Rafik Usmanov - Yulia Mironova |
| Cargo | Astrakhan State University - Astrakhan State University - Astrakhan State University - Astrakhan State University |
| Páginas | 580-599 |
Periódico do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Gênero e Direito
Centro de Ciências Jurídicas - Universidade Federal da Paraíba
V. 9 - Nº 04 - Ano 2020
ISSN | 2179-7137 | http://periodicos.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ged/index
580
POLISH THINK TANKS’ ACTIVITY IN THE EUROPEAN SOFT
POWER POLICY
Alexandr Grigorev
1
Nikolai Grishin
2
Rafik Usmanov
3
Yulia Mironova
4
Abstract: The article defines the place
of Polish think tanks in the all-European
soft power policy. For this purpose,
elements of the modified Joseph Nye’s
soft power concept were used. The
analysis was conducted on the example
of four Polish think tanks (Polish
Institute of International Affairs (PISM),
Center for Eastern Studies (OSW),
College of Eastern Europe (KEW) and
Warsaw University Institute of Eastern
Europe (SEW). The authors’ conclusions
allowed determining the place of Polish
think tanks in the EU foreign policy as
that of organic elements aimed at
achieving the goals prescribed by the
European Union’s Foreign and Security
Policy. At the same time, the activities of
Polish think tanks are also aimed at
solving the tasks of the Polish Foreign
Ministry, namely the expansion of Polish
1
Astrakhan State University
2
Astrakhan State University
3
Astrakhan State University
4
Astrakhan State University
influence in the Eastern European
countries and the opposition to those
political actors whose activities are
contrary to Polish foreign policy.
Keywords: soft power, think tanks,
European soft power, Polish foreign
policy, Polish think tanks.
1. Introduction
The concept of ‘soft power’,
which was introduced into scientific
circulation not so long ago, has been
attracting attention from both the
scientific community and political
functionaries over the past twenty years.
The initial meaning of the idea (put into
it by Joseph Nye) was the following: the
ability to influence what other countries
want is associated with such intangible
resources as culture, ideology, and
Periódico do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Gênero e Direito
Centro de Ciências Jurídicas - Universidade Federal da Paraíba
V. 9 - Nº 04 - Ano 2020
ISSN | 2179-7137 | http://periodicos.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ged/index
581
institutional strength. Soft cooperation is
as important as “hard command power”
(Nye, 1991). Nancy Snow notes that a
state has the advantage of soft power
potential in the following situations:
• “When its culture and values match
prevailing global norms;
• When a nation has greater access to
multiple communication channels that
can influence how issues are framed in
global news media;
• When a country’s credibility is enhanced
by domestic and international behavior”
(Snow, 2009).
Talking about access to
communication channels and issues
framing, such soft power tool as think
tanks is worth mentioning. Nowadays,
think tanks remain influential actors of
the world political system. Through their
activities, think tanks create social and
intellectual stimuli that make people
argue and be aware of their own beliefs.
They provide a platform for introducing
new ideas into politics and provoke
public debates on critical issues, thereby
expanding their sphere of influence. The
activities of modern think tanks are
focused on promoting their own
concepts through analytical counseling,
influencing public opinion and the
process of forming political elites. In this
sense, think tanks are one of the effective
tools of soft power policy, since they
influence foreign political elites in order
to affect political decisions making.
Yet before studying the think
tanks’ role in soft power of a certain
state, it should be taken into account that
the very concept of ‘soft power’ has been
criticized and updated by numerous
scientists.
2. Literature review
The Nye’s separation of power
into the ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ was a most
controversial aspect of his concept. The
author points out that everything related
to economics, financial and military
pressure, monetary encouragement and
bribery refers to ‘hard power’, and ‘soft
power’ includes tools for creating
attractiveness. The problem is that ‘soft
power’, meanwhile, cannot exist without
financial support. Both governmental
and non-governmental organizations
cannot exist without funding for
humanitarian cooperation, cultural and
educational programs (Davydov, 2004).
The most well-known criticism
of ‘soft power’ as a scientific concept
belongs to S. Lukes and N. Ferguson. S.
Lukes notes that Nye’s concept can be
called the ‘cousin’ of his ideas about
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