نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسنده
دانشجوی دکتری روابط بین الملل، دانشکده علوم انسانی، دانشگاه تربیت مدرس، تهران، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسنده [English]
U.S. soft power has been one of the main pillars of the country’s leadership in the international order after World War II. However, in recent decades, the international relations literature has discussed the weakening or redefinition of this normative asset. This paper aims to examine the erosion of American soft power and its relationship with the global order’s transition toward multipolarity. The study’s conceptual framework is based on three components: institutional legitimacy, behavioral reliability, and the quality of domestic governance. The research employs a trend analysis method, and through a historical review of developments from the 1970s to the present, cumulative patterns of the weakening of America’s symbolic capital are identified. Findings indicate that the erosion of soft power is not the result of a single event but rather the accumulation of gaps between rhetoric and practice in foreign policy, fluctuations in international commitments, and intensified domestic polarization. Quantitative evidence, including international surveys and soft power indices, also points to declining global trust, relative decreases in value-based components, and increased narrative competition with China. Nevertheless, this trend does not signify absolute decline; rather, it reflects a transition from unchallenged normative hegemony to a competitive and conditional position within a multipolar order. Accordingly, sustaining U.S. normative leadership requires consistent alignment among declared values, practical behavior, and domestic institutional cohesion.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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