According to Xinhua News Agency, a public notice was released by the Harvard Kennedy School of Government on May 7 stating that former dean Joseph Nye passed away on June 6 at the age of 88.

Joseph Nye was a renowned American scholar in international relations during his lifetime and had proposed important concepts such as "soft power." His passing at this critical time in Sino-US relations has deprived the American academic circle of another rational voice.

Crossing academia and politics

Joseph Nye was born in New Jersey, USA in 1937. He began teaching at Harvard University in 1964. In the field of international relations, no one is unaware of Joseph Nye and his concept of "soft power."

In the late 1980s, Joseph Nye proposed the concept of "soft power," which refers to a country's ability to influence and attract others without resorting to coercion or inducements. He believed that a country's soft power depends on the attractiveness of its culture and values, as well as the legitimacy of its policies in the eyes of outsiders.

At that time, the United States led the world in hard power such as economy and military, while investing substantial resources in packaging and exporting soft power, attempting to gain recognition for American values and acceptance of American leadership through flexible means, further consolidating America's dominant position in the international system.

Since then, "soft power" alongside hard power and "smart power" have been essential terms in international relations textbooks. Joseph Nye also wrote "Soft Power - The Winning Strategy in International Politics."

As the bulletin from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government said on July 7, Joseph Nye's thoughts on the nature of power in international relations have influenced generations of policymakers, scholars, and students.

"Joseph Nye is a landmark figure in the field of American international relations," said Wu Xinbo, director of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University and director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. He proposed the concept of "soft power," bridging the gap between two major theories in international relations—realism and liberalism.

Unlike many other scholars in international relations, Joseph Nye's career also spanned politics.

He worked twice in the U.S. government in the 1970s and 1990s, serving as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during President Clinton's administration.

"As a scholar, Joseph Nye is a representative figure of the new liberalism school; as a policymaker, he adheres to realism," said Wu Xinbo. Regarding China policy and other foreign policy issues, Joseph Nye's stance reflects several key characteristics:

First, he advocates for engagement with China rather than confrontation and conflict. Especially in the early 1990s, when the U.S. strategic community and academic circles debated China's rise, Joseph Nye clearly put forward this proposition.

Second, he emphasizes the importance of cooperation with China, not only in bilateral relations but also in resolving regional and global issues through cooperation.

The scene of Joseph Nye debating China policy with Paul Wolfowitz at a U.S. conference in the late 1990s still vividly remains in Wu Xinbo's memory. Wolfowitz, who once served in the U.S. Department of Defense, was considered a hardliner.

Third, he advocates for the U.S. to actively consolidate and strengthen its alliance system in Asia, particularly to solidify the U.S.-Japan relationship, leveraging the advantages of alliances in dealing with China.

Death is regrettable

Until recently, Joseph Nye remained active on the international relations stage, authoring "Moral Importance Matters: Presidents and Their Foreign Policies from Roosevelt to Trump."

Recently, Joseph Nye also published a commentary article in the Financial Times stating that after Trump's re-election as president, his threats to "buy" Greenland, covet the Panama Canal, bully allies, and third-world countries, these policies based on "coercion and transaction" are neither just nor reasonable, severely damaging America's soft power. In his view, as Trump continues to govern, America's soft power will face even greater challenges in the coming years.

Talking about Joseph Nye's death, Wu Xinbo said he felt very sudden, recalling the sudden death of another famous American scholar, Ezra Vogel, five years ago. Like Joseph Nye, Ezra Vogel also conducted research on international relations at Harvard University, focusing on issues such as Sino-US relations during his lifetime, and was dedicated to promoting contact between the two countries, being regarded as an expert on China.

"These two are influential scholars in the United States and are respected by Chinese academia. Their views on U.S. China policy and Sino-US relations often reflect rationality," said Wu Xinbo. In April 2006, Joseph Nye once visited the Center for American Studies at Fudan University and gave a speech.

On April 26, 2006, Professor Joseph Nye delivered a speech at the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.

Now, their passing is deeply mourned, especially considering the increasingly tough U.S. policy toward China and the increasingly irrational and extreme mindset toward China, making voices like those of the two scholars fewer and fewer.

"In the current difficult situation of Sino-US relations, how to maintain exchanges between the two countries' academic circles and encourage more scholars to voice rational and constructive opinions is particularly important," said Wu Xinbo.

(Editor's email: ylq@jfdaily.com)

Original title: "Personality | Joseph Nye in the Eyes of Chinese Scholars: Regret, the American Academic Circle Has Lost Another Rational Voice"

Column Editor: Yang Liqun Text Editor: Yang Liqun Picture Source: Xinhua News Agency

Source: Author: Jiefang Daily Lu Yifei

Original link: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7501955851192730122/

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