Russian Smart Power

Russia's renewed influence has caused strategic paralysis in the West. The West must change its approach or risk losing Turkey from the NATO alliance, which would place Russia in a very advantageous position in the Middle East and Europe. The root cause of the weak response is a failure to understand the true nature of Russian Smart Power, which, as a unique adaption of Joseph Nye's original theory, enables Russian strategists to manipulate their adversaries-seemingly at will. Nye defines Smart Power as the intelligent combination of coercive Hard Power with attractive Soft Power. However, Nye's theory fails to explain the mechanics of Russian power and the resultant rise of Russian influence because it does not account for Russian deception and obfuscation. The apparently disconnected and ambiguous nature of the individual elements of Russian Hard and Soft Power complicates the development of an effective strategy. This paper uses a deconstruction of recent events in Ukraine, Syria, and Turkey to explain how Russian Smart Power uses deception to disrupt the awareness of its target, create opportunities to apply coercion, and legitimize its attractive Soft Power.