Mail & Guardian
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Joseph S. Nye Jr. (1937–2025) was a prominent American political scientist and statesman, best known for developing the concept of soft power—a relatively recent addition to the elaborate sophistry of international politics.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

International relations: More sophistry than science

Calling this sophistry is not polemical. Sophistry was never about lying outright. It was about persuasive coherence in the service of authority. IR excels at this. It teaches…

  • Kweku Ampiah
8 min read