Soft Power's hidden Talents.

Soft power is an interesting way in which politics works. It can be a highly effective way in which politics works discretely and peacefully. Even though soft power is not something we think about the government doing, it still occurs. This image does not directly show anything to do with political soft power but it does give a sense of just how indiscreetly strong soft power can be. It's a good contrasting image of how hard power and soft power are balancing factors in a working government. You cannot have a strictly hard power based government or a soft power based government. The hard power of force via military will only get a country so far. Yet the same goes for soft power, negotiations and trades can only take a country so far in its efforts.

Soft power according to Webster's Dictionary is  "a persuasive approach to international relations, typically involving the use of economic or cultural influence." An excellent example of this would be Russia's Free Pussy Riot. The Free Pussy Riot is all about making peaceful performances that voice how basic right are under threat in Russia. Pussy Riot does this all while expressing gender equality, democracy, and of course the freedom of expression, that are clearly contained in their Russian constitution. Pussy Riot also make strong images voicing these opinions as well. This image is strong in the sense that it shows Pussy Riot in chains. We know Pussy Riot fights for woman's rights and the chains that they are wearing convey to us the message that they do not have any rights. The chains in this image could also stand for the obstacles that Pussy Riot is trying help push along. The black mouth covers with Free Pussy Riot written on them is a way that Pussy Riot is saying to us that they "quietly" make themselves known. When I speak of "quietly" I refer to this as non-violent, obviously Pussy Riot has made an uproar in Russia.  The colorful ski masks that the girls of Pussy Riot wear are to keep their anonymity. It could also be used in a sense so other women could visualize themselves in these courageous women's position.  The bright and colorful outfits of these feminists are used because the group crosses pop culture with that of political issues. They do this in an attempt to help associate more people and to help convey the message they want to spread in a more communal language.

Pussy Riot is still an active Feminist group in Russia that is dedicated to speaking out for woman's rights. Yet they do so in a seemingly vulgar way. Do you think Pussy Riot should continue in this way? Pussy Riot has been making effective progress and have become noticed because of their actions. Even though they making statements in a vulgar sense it's clear that it is effective and they are getting noticed.