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All 11 Flashcards — How power is exercised
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Question
How is power actually exercised?
Answer
By combining forms — hard, soft, economic, structural and ideological — and using the right one for the goal.
Question
What is smart power?
Answer
Combining hard and soft power wisely — choosing the right blend for the situation and matching the tool to the goal.
Question
What is power conversion?
Answer
Turning resources (wealth, an army, culture) into real influence over an outcome.
Question
What are the main types of power?
Answer
Hard (military, economic), soft, structural and ideological — usually used in combination.
Question
What are the three forms of power?
Answer
Power to (capacity to act), power over (make others comply) and power with (act together).
Question
Why is China a good example of combined power?
Answer
It uses a growing military, Belt and Road economics, cultural soft power and an alternative development model together.
Question
Why does no single form of power work for everything?
Answer
Force can defend but not win loyalty; attraction can win hearts but not stop a tank — different goals need different tools.
Question
What makes power effective?
Answer
Matching the tool to the goal and blending forms well — the right mix (smart power) beats any single form.
Question
What is the realist view of exercising power?
Answer
That hard power ultimately decides — soft power needs hard power behind it, and security comes first.
Question
How should you judge an actor's power?
Answer
By which forms it uses, how well it blends them, and how well it converts resources into outcomes.
Question
Force for defence, attraction for...?
Answer
Influence and image — so the right tool depends on the goal you are pursuing.
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Topic 1.3 hub
Power
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