Podcast / American Prestige / Jun 11, 2024

Chinese Soft Power

On this episode of American Prestige, Maria Repnikova on China’s diplomatic strategy.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

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Chinese Soft Power w/ Maria Repnikova | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek welcome to the podcast Maria Repnikova, associate professor in global communication at Georgia State University, to talk about China’s use of so-called “soft power”. They explore the origin of the phrase and what Maria means by it, Confucius Institutes, public diplomacy, Chinese efforts to build a global media network, how the US frames these initiatives, and what kind of image China might be trying to project.

You can find Maria’s book of the same name here.

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Security guards walk past the Chinese national flag at the Military Museum of Chinese People's Revolution on March 1, 2008, in Beijing, China.

Security guards walk past the Chinese national flag at the Military Museum of Chinese People’s Revolution on March 1, 2008, in Beijing, China.

(China Photos / Getty Images)

On this episode of American Prestige, we welcome to the podcast Maria Repnikova, associate professor in global communication at Georgia State University, to talk about China’s use of so-called “soft power.” We explore the origin of the phrase and what Maria means by it, Confucius Institutes, public diplomacy, Chinese efforts to build a global media network, how the US frames these initiatives, and what kind of image China might be trying to project.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Masculinity, the Manosphere, and Climate Politics w/ Daniel Waite Penny | American Prestige
byThe Nation Magazine

Danny and Derek speak with journalist and cultural critic Daniel Waite Penny to discuss the relationship between masculinity, the manosphere, and climate politics, as explored in the new season of Drilled, Carbon Bros. They talk about the “manosphere,” libertarians promoting techno-fixes, and Silicon Valley elites pushing solutions like space colonization; how gendered ideas about strength, autonomy, and grievance have fused with climate denial and hostility toward environmental regulation; where these dynamics fit within broader shifts in political economy and the interests of fossil capital; and the roots of these alignments, their role in contemporary right-wing politics, and what they mean for efforts to build public support for climate action.

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Derek Davison

Derek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.

Daniel Bessner

Daniel Bessner is an historian of US foreign relations, and cohost of American Prestige, a podcast on international affairs.

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