Opinion | Why George Floyd protests do not mark the death of US soft power, despite China’s glee
- The global marches show that many nations still identify with aspects of American culture and that America’s pluralistic society and values remain attractive
- Conversely, the China story Beijing wants told – unless it addresses the human condition – has limited appeal to the rest of the world
The United States is behaving hypocritically. That’s a black mark for the US and a champagne toast for China’s Communist Party spokesmen and journalists. But they’d be foolish to celebrate for long. “I can’t breathe” is not the funeral dirge of American soft power. There are other forces at work.
Many non-Americans remain fascinated critics and consumers of American culture. It is a dynamic, controversial brew of traditions whose scale and global significance no other country can match. When demonstrators in Bangkok or Dublin write “George Floyd” on a piece of cardboard, they are asking Americans to live up to American ideals and affirming that those ideals are attractive internationally. This is a hopeful sign for Americans: American culture is recharging the reservoir of American soft power even as American leaders make the world wonder whether the US will keep faith with – or even understands – its own values.
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Black Lives Matter protests sweep the globe after police killing of George Floyd in US
While Beijing is currently scoring rhetorical points at America’s expense, it does so from the sidelines. It is American culture and American questions – such as “can a nation be pluralistic, safe and just?” – that engage free minds and inspire free movements internationally.