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Dmitry Grozoubinski
@explaintrade.com

1/ We got 50,000 articles about how weak and impotent soft power has proven in the 21st century. Meanwhile, the "1st army in the world" can't bend Iran to its will and the (self-proclaimed) "2nd army in the world" is over a thousand days into its 3 day special military operation.

noirtiervillefort.bsky.social
@noirtiervillefort.bsky.social

I agree soft power matters, contra the Trumpers, but if the US was willing to take significant casualties, as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan, it could do much more against Iran. It is not, which means that this was a risky "excursion" to undertake. Once the regime didn't split, the US was at a loss.

Dmitry Grozoubinski
@explaintrade.com

But your hard power is a function of your homefront's willingness to endure pain as much as it is your military budget. US hard power, ever since like, Vietnam, has been limited by the very limited appetite of its public for casualties!

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noirtiervillefort.bsky.social
@noirtiervillefort.bsky.social

Yes, but we still took thousands of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. People also were prepared for the 1991 Gulf War to be significantly worse than it was for the US. Trump did not bother to sell this war like Bush did. Not clear how effective he'd have been without 9/11, but he didn't even try.

Tim Leach
@timleachwriter.bsky.social

Yeah, and that willingness to endure pain is often developed through elements soft power - making an argument, building a narrative, communicating and persuading people that the cause is vital and worthy.