America must show Wise Power

Navi Radjou
1 min readMay 10, 2021

20 years years ago (2001) America was attacked (9/11)

America’s SELF-CONFIDENCE (sense of INVINCIBILITY) was shattered and, I believe, has been on the decline since then

In 2001, George W Bush responded to terrorist attacks by unleashing America’s tried-and-true HARD POWER, namely its military might by invading Afghanistan and Irak (while Osama Bin Laden, 9/11’s real mastermind, was still on the loose)

In 2009, with Obama’s arrival at the White House, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used America’s SMART POWER (America’s *convening* force) to bring together foreign nations to collectively resolve global issues through diplomatic solutions (read about Smart Power: https://lnkd.in/guQkJXQ )

In 2017, with Trump as President, America reverted to HARD POWER with saber-rattling against China, North Korea, Iran

In 2021, President Joe Biden could usher in a new era of Conscious Diplomacy that leverages America’s WISE POWER to engage US allies as equal partners to co-create frugal solutions to global issues afflicting humanity like inequality, pandemics, climate change.

Evolution of US diplomacy: from Hard Power to Wise Power

As America honors 20th anniversary of 9/11 in 2021, it must confidently re-engage with the world with humility

Read my articles on Wise Power:
https://lnkd.in/gDy4BkS
https://lnkd.in/gqaUh3V
https://lnkd.in/g75J4ae

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Navi Radjou

Indian-French-American Scholar in Frugal Innovation + Wise Leadership. TED Speaker. Based in France. Visit: NaviRadjou.com