Soft power describes the influence a country has on another through the admiration generated by the recognition and appreciation of its intangible resources like its culture, political values and...Show moreSoft power describes the influence a country has on another through the admiration generated by the recognition and appreciation of its intangible resources like its culture, political values and foreign policy objectives. In essence, it captures a country’s attractive power. This thesis will aim to answer why Nigeria, despite its extensive soft power resources, is not recognised as having substantial soft power. After investigating the conventional understanding of soft power as presented by Joseph Nye, this work will map out some of Nigeria’s most influential soft power resources to showcase why Nigeria would be expected to be recognized as having significant soft power. It will argue that, besides issues regarding its credibility and public diplomacy strategy, Nigeria suffers from structural constraints. It illustrates how the common understanding of soft power is not neutral, rather it is shaped by a hegemonic worldview that is Eurocentric in nature, favouring “Western” states. This thesis aims to show how it is relatively harder for a country like Nigeria to be recognized as attractive or powerful due to the normative assumptions underlying the dominant ideas of what attractiveness and power look like.Show less
This study aims to show why Africa, specifically the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in this case study, seems to lack agency regarding the control of their internal security...Show moreThis study aims to show why Africa, specifically the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in this case study, seems to lack agency regarding the control of their internal security issues. The Malian conflict, which started in 2012, saw the activation of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) as well as a French military intervention called Operation Serval. However, in July 2013 AFISMA was superseded by a UN-led military operation while the French mission remained functional. This case study reflects the issue regarding the lack of African agency. By using an analytical framework of power in international politics, this study seeks to understand this dynamic as it pertains to the case study. The findings show that France, via a Realist understanding, is the primary power in the conflict out to seek its own security. Simultaneously, African agency is not realisable due to the inherent inferiority of African institutions compared to the UN and France.Show less
