A World in Transition? Debate on the Role of soft Power in the Future of global Governance
by Francesco Petrone
pp. 222-247 Issue 16 (8,2) – July-December 2021 ISSN (online): 2539/2239 ISSN (print): 2389-8232 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14718/SoftPower.2021.8.2.12
Abstract
In this paper we discuss about the future of global governance and, broadly speaking, of the global order. In particular, we want to highlight the predominant role that the soft power will have in this process. To do this, we first analyze the meaning of global governance and its limits; secondly, the meaning of the terms “soft power” and “power transition”; finally, we discuss about the possible future impacts that the so-called “emerging powers”, especially the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), will have on these fields. If, on the one hand, the West seems increasingly in crisis, on the other, these countries are trying to propose themselves as core models for the future. In this sense, the BRICS invest a lot in soft power in order to become more reliable in the eyes of the countries that have played a marginal role in international relations, especially those of the Global South. In the final part, we try to assess what possible consequences this situation may have for the future of global governance and, in general, of the international relations.