Azərbaycan Turizm və Menecment Universiteti

Taking into account the changing nature of international environment and constant interstate com­petition, all countries are trying to gain upper hand. In this regard, if a state wants to succeed in the international arena, it needs to establish the appropriate foreign policy strategies in line with its national interests. Of course, a strong foreign policy requires the state to properly determine its potential. The events of early 1990s, especially the collapse of the USSR and the creation of unipolar world system, undoubtedly required politicians to come up with new concepts and ideas. In this case, the American political scientist Joseph Nye introduced the concept of soft power at the essential time, which made a great impression on the inter­na­tional community. In addition to those who think that this concept is valuable and should be applied in their own countries, there are also those who have critical approaches and some of them indicate that the theory has its shortcomings. Meanwhile, both hard and soft sides of power should be examined in order to assess that which one is crucial in the foreign policy of a state. It should be underlined, from the perspective of Nye; the best way of getting desired outcomes is attracting, persuading and determining the agenda. The cultural diversity and richness of a country can create its own country brand in order to get the attention of target au­di­ences. Additionally, public diplomacy is an essential resource of soft power that governments attract state officials and meanwhile, citizens of other nations. Moreover, success in world politics can be achieved through the attractiveness of culture which is intangible asset of soft power.