Trump’s ‘Art of the Deal’ versus American soft power

In his book “The Art of the Deal”, he writes that his negotiation style is straightforward. He aims high and puts pressure on the other side until he gets what he wants. A “win-win” scenario that would require him to look at the deal from a different viewpoint doesn’t seem to be his preferred style.
Trump’s “America First” policy reflects that hard negotiating tactic. It indicates that the Trump era will bring a tendency to apply American hard power. If so, this is a far cry from the soft power America has successfully used to win hearts and minds across the world since the end of World War II. This approach was demonstrated by its magnanimous behaviour after the war in funding Europe’s recovery through the Marshall Plan and also in aiding Japan’s reconstruction.
This is America’s real power in the eyes of the world. And it’s this sort of power – not the brute force of hard power – that has convinced much of the rest of the world to lean towards or even adopt American values.
Anan Pakvasa
Bangkok