Graduation Year
2023
Date of Submission
4-2023
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
International Relations
Reader 1
Jennifer Taw
Abstract
When assessing conflict between great powers, the focus is often on hard power threats, like military and economic action. Yet, because great power competition focuses on expanding a given country’s powers of influence and persuasion, soft power is both an effective and common weapon in the battle for hegemony. This paper analyzes the ways great powers highlight social issues linked to national identity in the opponent’s state. By examining how the United States and Soviet Union criticized each other during the Cold War and how the United States and China criticize each other currently, certain trends emerge. A state can manipulate ideology to show its citizens its superiority, show the international community its superiority, or create destabilization in the opponent’s state. Yet, when manipulating ideology in the opponent’s state, there may be unintended impacts through resonance or policy response.
Recommended Citation
Beinkampen, Katherine, "Playing Mastermind: The Manipulation of Ideological Criticism in the Quest for Global Hegemony" (2023). CMC Senior Theses. 3358.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3358
