Soft Power in German-Russian Relations

In: Welt-Trends: das außenpolitische Journal, Issue 89, p. 78-85

Abstract

The soft power concept appears to be applicable to Germany's policies toward Russia. In my analysis, I will draw on both written texts and oral presentations at dozens of panel discussions, round tables and conferences held in Germany in 2011-2013, all aimed at forging joint communicative spaces with Russia. Events sponsored by German think tanks and foundations are playgrounds for encounters of dissimilar narratives and storylines, which communicate and intermingle with each other. However, they not necessarily produce shared meanings. My key argument is that the use of soft power is a two-way communicative process. An actor employing soft power as a communicative tool not only opens a space for an exchange of ideas with its respective interlocutors, but also provides legitimacy to their positions. In the case of this analysis, the ramified structure of German-Russian discursive interactions not only illustrates the deep political and normative split between Berlin and Moscow, but also reinforces cleavages within the German domestic discourse on Russia. Adapted from the source document.