Joseph S. Nye Jr.

Harvard University

Bio

Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is University Distinguished Service Professor and former dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

His books include Bound to Lead, The Paradox of American Power, Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics, The Future of Power, and Presidential Leadership and the Creation of the American Era.

Featured Work

FEB 4, 2020 Podcast

Do Morals Matter? Presidents & Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, with Joseph Nye

How much do morals matter for U.S. presidents when it comes to international affairs? What are the ethics of "America First" or 2003 invasion of ...

Presidential Leadership and the Creation of the American Era

JUN 11, 2013 Podcast

Presidential Leadership and the Creation of the American Era

Joseph Nye asks: "If the United States starts out the 20th century as a second-tier power and it ends up the 20th century as the ...

MAR 8, 2011 Podcast

Ethics Matter: Political Scientist Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

Joseph Nye discusses the sources of his ideas, his major concepts such as soft power, the impact of these concepts, and his thoughts on the ...

FEB 18, 2011 Podcast

The Future of Power

"In the information age, the mark of a great power is not just whose army wins, but also whose story wins," says Joseph Nye. This ...

The Powers to Lead

OCT 13, 2008 Podcast

The Powers to Lead

What qualities make a leader succeed in business or in politics? Joseph Nye contends that modern leadership requires "smart power," which is a judicious situational ...

Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics

APR 13, 2004 Podcast

Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics

Joseph Nye's concept of "soft power" has become part of the international relations lexicon. In this 2004 book talk, he argues that hard power alone cannot ...

The Paradox of American Power: Why the World

MAR 6, 2002 Transcript

The Paradox of American Power: Why the World's Only Superpower Can't Go It Alone

Joseph Nye argues that U.S. leaders must create a framework that preserves American values congruent with those of other people in the world. "If ...

MAY 12, 1999 Article

Morgenthau Lectures (1981–2006): National Interest in the Information Age

Nye provides several reasons why the information age is likely to enhance rather than diminish American power.