Soft Power - Just Power

Just Power

To overcome the conventional discussions on soft and hard power, Nayef Al-Rodhan highlights the importance of justice in the debate and proposes the concept of "just power". He argues that both, a state’s soft and hard power tools, have to be employed in the service of justice, if this power has to be sustainable. Justice is to be understood here in a minimalist sense, namely the respect of universal human rights. Al-Rodhan argues that justice in international affairs and as part of states’ foreign policies should not be pursued for altruistic reasons or out of a desire to do what is right, but rather, it should be pursued because it is the only sustainable way for states to promote progress and stability in a globalized world. By promoting justice, states will be able to make its influence over others sustainable and therefore to achieve their own national goals.