Introduction to the Special Issue: Recasting Soft Power for the Indo-Pacific

Abstract

Soft power and its associated practice of public diplomacy have gained prominence in foreign policy discourse and in Ministries of Foreign Affairs around the globe. These concepts receive considerable scholarly attention today. Yet discourse continues to be dominated by European and American frameworks and experiences. Remarkably, there is little interrogation of how soft power and public diplomacy are evolving to find relevance in alternative contexts. As a result, persistent gaps constrain theoretical and practical frameworks underpinning the field. This article sets the scene for the Special Issue on soft power and public diplomacy in the Indian Ocean-Asia Pacific (Indo-Pacific) region. It introduces the Indo-Pacific as the geographic backdrop for the issue, to reveal enduring features, themes, and complexities that shape the current and future relevance of soft power within it. Conclusions highlight the future and underexplored potential of the region's transnational and digital networks.