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As the use of military force to resolve disputes between nations becomes less plausible in most regions of the world so the struggle for prestige and influence intensifies. This trend is reinforced by the diffusion of conventional forms of power away from governments to non-state actors, and the ever-greater speed of the digital revolution. Among the consequences has been the rise to global fame of the concept of ‘Soft Power’, in theory a means to turn a country’s attributes and achievements into a lever for gaining advantage in international competitions of all sorts. China has invested in it heavily and consciously. Even nations such as Russia and India are using soft power language and tools. The British foreign minister talks of a ‘race for soft power’. Image-making, public diplomacy and propaganda are all components of a state’s – or an institution’s – soft power strategy today. Soft power antagonisms are on display whenever censorship or other forms of ‘cultural protectionism’ are deployed. The course will study the inter-acting dynamics of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ power, using contemporary and historical perspectives. It will suggest that the tension between them can best be understood in terms of the politics of sovereignty, identity and – above all - modernity. Rising waves of anxiety everywhere about relations between national communities and globalised markets, between the state and its citizens, between generations, genders, ethnic groups and religions are all part of the politics of identity and innovation. Would-be models of change – presenting themselves as incarnations of ‘modernity’ - define the confrontations of soft power superpowers.