Armenians Should Use Soft Power
By Armine Koundakjian
Let me explain what Soft Power is. In international politics soft power coopts rather than coerces. It involves shaping the choices of others through appeal and attraction. Soft power uses culture and accepted values of the nation in question. When we say soft power, we mean culture with all its aspects. All nations have it to some extent, Some are better known than others depending on the hard power promoting it.
For example, Shakespeare is famous world-wide because of the power of the British
Government behind it. All powerful rich countries dominate the soft power domain. They use their political values to enact change to their benefit.
Most of the time, soft power achieves more results than hard power which is the power of guns and brute force.
It is the ability to influence others such as employees or customers through persuasion and attraction. Many nations introduce themselves to the world at large by building goodwill and smart relationships. Most of the time that introduction does not cost anything. Another name for this introduction is PR (Public Relations).
The importance of soft power is so critical that some governments spend large sums hiring PR firms. This brings me back to what instigated me to write this article.
I am talking about us Armenians who are very poor at PR. A most recent example is the Hamazkayin Cultural Foundation sponsored by the Ani Dance Ensemble at Glendale High School auditorium on December 7, 2024. The hall was full with 1,200 Armenian spectators without a single Glendale city official present. It was an excellent chance to introduce a beautiful visual sliver of Armenian culture to idars (non-Armenians). Many such opportunities have come and gone without the thought of inviting an American friend or a city official to the event. Such invitations don’t cost much in monetary terms, but give substantial dividends in terms of publicizing who we are.
A week ago on February 1, 2025, the Hamazkayin Cultural Foundation celebrated the Grand Opening of its newly-acquired center. There was a sizable attendees including the benefactors, clergy, representatives of various non-profit organizations, a choir and music, but only Glendale City Councilman Ardy Kassakhian was in attendance. We gathered, socialized, enjoyed wine and the catering, applauded ourselves, without sharing any of it with an odar.
I implore our organizations, political or not, to think about this important issue that I am raising here. I also want to ask our communities to be vigilant about what they hear on line, on the radio and TV stations. If you hear a song or a piece of Turkish or Azeri music, or any other derogatory talk about Armenians, call the station and express your strong displeasure and then offer to send them Armenian music or tell them how to down load one.
