Soft power: "made in USA"

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

For many years I have been faced with the grinding of an endless, viscous topic: why we, Russians, do not know how to achieve our goals with the same political technologies as the Americans. What needs to be done to boost and improve? I would like to try to bring some clarity to this sore subject.

I'll start with personal experience. It was the spring of 1998, preparations for one of the first "color" revolutions in Eastern Europe were in full swing in Slovakia, but no one knew about this then. The United States was preparing a big war in the Balkans, no one knew about that either. America needed guarantees of passage through the airspace of Slovakia, where the stubborn and "pro-Russian" Prime Minister Vladimir Mečar was in power, enjoying massive popular support. Mecár interfered, it was decided to change Mečár, and under the painfully familiar American slogan "we want change", the US ambassador to Slovakia assembled and built an anti-Charov coalition into battle formation. At that time I was the editor-in-chief of a socio-political weekly. I was suddenly approached by an American diplomat, second or third person of the embassy, with an unexpected proposal.

- Why don't you create a non-governmental organization? - And what is it? - I asked. - How, you do not know? - the American was surprised. - Everyone knows, but you do not!

I confessed my ignorance and listened to a quarter-hour lecture. Its essence: if I create a new non-governmental organization, which in one way or another will be biased against Mechar, then the US Embassy will offer money.

I was surprised, but did not refuse right away. At that time I criticized Mechar openly and consistently - not for being pro-Russian, but for his political utopianism. Moreover, as time has shown, the criticism was quite justified. But no one has ever offered me money for this kind of creativity. I myself was the publisher of my books, and I remain so to this day.

Two days later, the American appeared with a pile of papers weighing a kilogram and a half and with a proposal to fill them in. Noticing that I was not inclined to do this, he said that his staff would help me. You just have to go to the embassy. Then I shoved the papers into the lowest drawer of the desk and forgot about it.

But not for long. At that time, no one perceived the anti-Charov campaign in Slovakia in 1998 as a “color revolution”. There were no Maidans, there was just a political campaign of all, united against one - the popular Mechar. But behind it was the United States, with all its soft influence in its fist. And Mechar had no chance.

The essence of Soft Power. This is not soft power. And even more so not soft power. This is the American technology of taking power in a foreign country and transferring it to the people who need it at the moment. Coup technology. The technology is non-violent - and this is the main thing that distinguishes Soft Power from the revolution with the storming of the Winter Palace. Soft Power technology does not take power to hold it or, God forbid, reform something. Although the word "reform" has been a sacred mantra for many years in all post-communist countries, Russia is not an exception.

Soft Power is used to take power for a short time, to take property for a long time, or better yet, forever. The word "rob" sounds indelicate, but accurately describes the essence of the process.

After the overthrow of Meciar in 1998, who, although he won the elections, was not allowed to form a government, in record time all the strategic enterprises of Slovakia, which America were interested in, were transferred to the hands of the United States. First of all, the VSZh metallurgical plant in the city of Kosice, which mixed the cards in the game for the European markets. The plant was transferred to the US Steel concern.

In addition to property seizure, Soft Power achieves other results - usually of strategic importance. Need, for example, a military base - and in Central Asia they suddenly begin to fight for freedom; it is necessary to control the transit of oil and gas - and then the Caucasus, then Turkey, then Greece will fight for freedom. Everyone will fight - Soft Power knows how to attract the masses to the fight for American values.

How Soft Power works: sequence of steps

First, Soft Power looks for and finds agents of influence among the local elites. Not spies, not scouts, but guides of their will. This is the main and decisive step. Without Gorbachev and Yeltsin, the pro-American Russia of 1991-1999 could not have taken place. If the local elites are scarce, agents of influence are imported directly from the United States - fortunately, in America, all emigrants. And if suddenly a new president is urgently needed in Afghanistan or Latvia, or a promising Ukrainian banker, Yushchenko, needs the right wife, America can easily find the necessary personnel in its bins.

The next, and no less important, step is to put the media under control. In small countries they just buy and not only work on Soft Power, but also generate income. Loyal Soft Power journalistic pools are brought up in the controlled media. As a rule, they take very young people, almost children, and teach them a few simple tricks to serve the media needs of Soft Power.

A network of non-governmental organizations and foundations is being created. Its main purpose is to train personnel for Soft Power.

Soft Power Mechanism: Funding

America, like no one else, knows how to advertise its financial generosity in matters of Soft Power with great fanfare, but this is an arrogant and very successful PR. Once upon a time there was a clever slogan: "The work of saving the drowning is the work of the drowning themselves." With regard to Soft Power, this slogan will sound like this: “The drowning of the floating is carried out at the expense of the future drowned people themselves. With one hundred percent prepayment ". Soft Power is always and everywhere an insanely profitable enterprise. US agents of influence are usually bought simply for promises or for pocket change. When Soft Power triumphs and the robbery takes place, the agents of influence can again be thrown into tea. Of course, a trifle is a relative concept. On the scale of Russia or even Ukraine, this small change for the pocket money of Yushchenki or Kasparovs does not seem like a trifle to ordinary people. But on the scale of US acquisitions, this is a paltry expense. Moreover, often for these scanty expenses, Soft Power finds some kind of money-bag who will come running with the stolen money and ask for asylum. If the money-bag brings enough money, he will receive asylum, but he may still be asked: but help, support the sprouts of freedom in distant Tibet, or at least in Mongolia.

The only thing Soft Power has never saved on is the scientific development of revolution technologies and their information and media support. For this purpose, thousands of institutions of various levels have been created in the United States, created decades ago, and new ones are constantly being created.

Why Russia doesn't have Soft Power

That is why the mango tree does not bloom in Magadan. Other conditions.

Also, because Soft Power is not owned by anyone in the world except the United States. This is an American invention, know-how, not as large-scale as the New York Stock Exchange, but also important.

Because it took decades of intense mental and creative work of thousands of specialists to create Soft Power as a globally operating system of coups, at the behest of the United States changing power where American strategists decide. Which, and this must be emphasized once again, there really were in the United States - this is really a civilization of emigrants, which, within the framework of Soft Power, effectively uses the advantages of its emigrant nature.

Also, because Soft Power implements a purely trading approach, simple and accessible even to the dumbest, and therefore effective. Other peoples and civilizations, trying to influence beyond their borders in their favor, mix together money, power, traditions, morality, emotions, prejudices. The gift of God with scrambled eggs interferes. But Soft Power is just scrambled eggs. And from the eggs of the client, but so that the client does not notice it.

And it turns out like in Ukraine, where Russia has been driven to the point that Ukraine seriously declares its aspiration to NATO. Why did the Russian influence in Ukraine look so unsuccessful until recently, and why did the American Soft Power look so triumphant during the heyday of the Orange Maidan?

There are many reasons, but the main one is that the Ukrainian elites turned out to be absolutely disoriented in relation to Russia. Who is the pro-Russian politician in Ukraine today? The correct answer would be: yes, we are all pro-Russian! But there is no such answer at all. There is the ruling elite, fluctuating in the 50 hertz regime, which itself is hopelessly entangled in the fact that it is more profitable for the elite to be pro-Russian or pro-European. Or pro-American. Or orient yourself towards mighty Georgia with its triumphant president.

Russia is a complex civilization, and Soft Power is a simple product for simple ones, which successfully works, including in the harsh Russian conditions.

Historical Perspectives of Soft Power

There is reason to suspect and hope that the era of Soft Power is drawing to a close. This does not mean that it will get better. But something new may appear, and not necessarily of American origin.

Soft Power is a product of the world of money, which is also in the decline. To put it simply, Soft Power, like many other American products, operates with money and on the basis of money.

They, the money, will soon be gone. In the form in which we all know them, money. This means that there will be nothing to buy - neither agents of influence, nor the media.

And yet this is a more or less distant future.

But what to do with Soft Power today, while there is still a lot of it? What should Russia do?

There are attempts to create our own Soft Power in Russia and they are getting stronger. And that's good in itself. And some results are already visible in the post-Soviet space.

Therefore, Russia needs to study Soft Power while the old woman is still alive and talks a lot. Choose something useful, important for yourself, for the future.

Russia and Russians know how to learn and invent. The Soft Power phenomenon is the enemy's weapon, which is primarily a subject for study.

To imitate, to repeat, to create something new. But not Soft Power "made in USA". Russia has other traditions, Russia was able and knows how to build long-term relations with the leaders of many peoples inhabiting it. And although the democratic greed of the Russian elite remains a powerful factor, Russia does not need to buy the loyalty of allies and vassals "for at least six months to have enough time to privatize the pipeline."

Russia does not rob, Russia takes, relying on real strength, and not on green zeros.

In Russia and the Russians, another question dominates and will dominate: “Man, tell me, whose are you? Ours or not ours? Who Said It Was Wrong?