What is it about?

The conference explores the modern evolution of soft power and diplomatic strategies within a global landscape defined by geopolitical shifts and technological innovation. It examines how nations project influence through soft power rather than just military force, specifically contrasting Japan’s strategy with the more traditional hard power approach favored by the United States, particuarly during the Trump administration.

Why participate?

Attending this session offers a valuable opportunity to understand the delicate balance between hard and soft power in current foreign policy while gaining insight into how countries rebuild their global image in complex political climates. It is an essential opportunity for anyone looking to grasp the future of diplomacy and the strategic ways in which influence is shaped in the 21st century.

The guest speakers

• NANCY SNOW: Nancy Snow, professor emeritus of communications at California State University, Fullerton, is an internationally renowned authoritative voice on public diplomacy, propaganda studies, media influence, and national branding. Throughout her career, she has advised governments, institutions, and private clients on global persuasion strategies and strategic communications. She holds a PhD in International Relations from American University’s School of      International Service. She began his career as a Presidential Management Fellow in the United States Department of State and United States Information Agency.

• GIULIO PUGLIESE: Giulio Pugliese is the Director of the EU-Asia Project at the European University Institute and an incoming Assistant Professor at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. A Cambridge PhD, he specializes in Asia-Pacific international relations – with a focus on Japan-China-US great power politics – and European foreign policy in East Asia. He has held academic positions at Oxford, King’s College London, and Heidelberg University. Awarded the Nakasone Incentive Award in 2023 for his research on Japanese diplomacy, he is the co-author of Sino-Japanese Power Politics and numerous publications on Japanese diplomacy and regional security.

• STEFANO CHESSA ALTIERI: Stefano Chessa Altieri is an Affiliated Researcher at Sciences Po and the Gramsci Institute, and a Unibo Teaching Fellow. He holds a PhD in Global History and Governance      from the Scuola Superiore Meridionale and Sciences Po. His research examines post-1989 U.S.–China relations, focusing on the strategic and ethical dimensions of the early post–Cold War era. A former Fox Fellow at Yale University and Columbia Alliance Programme recipient, he has taught      global history at Sciences Po and co-convened the LSE–Sciences Po Seminar in Contemporary International History.