Soft Power

I’m curious about how nation states turn culture into other forms of power.

Why do some cultural exports (eg. K-pop) go viral? What lessons can Africa learn from South Korea’s Cultural technology engine?

If someone got you a Swiss or Japanese gift, your instinct would be to assume that it’s high quality or especially valuable.

Why?

Where does this halo of excellence and presumption of high quality come from?

The statement “The American brand is less admired globally than it used to be” would go unchallenged in parts of the world as something “everyone knows.” Is it possible to quantify the level of global positive sentiment that a country has, and chart its rise and fall over time?

Did this topic remind you of anything? Please send that thing to me, even if you think I might have seen it before! I'm eager for leads and references, even if it's only tangentially related. Some of the best messages I receive begin with “This is kind of random, but this reminded me of...”