加强英国软实力：战略建议

Strengthening UK Soft Power:Strategic Recommendations Contents 1.Towards a Vision and Strategy for UK Soft Power2.Mapping the UK Soft Power Landscape2.The Role of Soft Power in Achieving the UK’s Foreign Policy Ambitions3.International and Domestic Dynamics Facing the UK’s Soft Power Sector4.Government Engagement on UK Soft Power5.Conclusions and Recommendations UK Soft Power Group The UK Soft Power Group (UKSPG) is the leading non-governmental organisationcollectively representing soft power organisations in the United Kingdom. We representmany of the UK’s most treasured, compelling and active soft power organisationsand institutions, with a truly diverse membership spanning the full breadth of UK softpower. The UK Soft Power Group aims to amplify the voice of the soft power sectorand increase its centrality to Government strategic planning, emphasising the valueof soft power as a foreign policy instrument. UK Soft Power Group Members ●Core Cities UK●The Jockey Club●London Higher●National Open College Network(NOCN)●Premier League●Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RBG Kew)●Science Museum Group●UK Sport●Wellcome Trust●Wilton Park ●Academy of Sport●AssociationofCharteredCertifiedAccountants (ACCA)●Ascot Racecourse●British Council●British Film Institute (BFI)●British Foreign Policy Group (BFPG)●British Library●British Standards Institution (BSI)●City of London●Coalition for Global Prosperity This report has been prepared by the UK Soft Power Group co-convenors,the British Foreign Policy Group and the British Council, on behalf of the Group.We are grateful to members of the UKSPG for their contributions and supportin bringing this paper together. Towards a Vision and Strategyfor UK Soft Power Since2023,whentheUKSoftPowerGroupfirstdevelopedastrategicframeworkforUKsoft power, the international environment has become increasingly volatile.1 ConflictsinUkraine and the Middle East, growing trade wars, the decline of the multilateral system, therise of new technologies, and the spread of populism have all contributed to an increasinglydifficultanduncertainglobalfuture.Thischallenginggeopoliticalcontexthasplacedhardpower at the forefront of global politics - and the UK’s approach to it - in recent years. Whilethereisaclearroleandneedforhardpowerinthecurrentglobalcontext,theUK’spositionin the world is also contingent on its soft power, which is crucial for creating the conditionsforstrengtheningtheUK’salliances,diplomaticinfluence,andinternationalcredibility. Softpower,asdefinedbyJosephNye,istheabilitytoachieveagoalthroughattraction.2It encompasses a nation’s culture, strengths, values and foreign policies and is centraltohowtheUKisperceivedinternationallyanditsinfluence,roleandopportunitiesintheglobalarena.TheUKhaslongbenefittedfromadepthofsoftpowerassets,whichhavehelped shape and strengthen the UK’s position on the world stage. These soft powerassetshaveprovedremarkablyresilientinthefaceofsignificantdomestic,political,economic and social change. However, while the UK is in an enviable position as anattractive and trusted international actor, this status is not guaranteed. The UK facesgrowing challenges, both domestically and internationally, that are impacting its soft powercapabilities, and in an increasingly polarised world, the UK cannot simply rely on its pastachievements to maintain its position. There is, therefore, a critical need for a clear planon how to maintain and promote the UK’s soft power strengths. TheUKGovernmenthasshrewdlyrecognisedthisfactsincecomingintooffice.Foreign Secretary David Lammy has emphasised that soft power is “fundamental”totheUK’sinfluenceintheworldandthat,successfullyharnessed,softpower“canhelp to build relationships, deepen trust, enhance our security and drive economicgrowth”.3 The creation of the UK’s new Soft Power Council and the development ofa new soft power strategy demonstrate this commitment and will provide an opportunitytostrengthenconnectivityandstrategicthinkingbetweenWhitehallandtheexternalsoft power ecosystem. The UK Soft Power Group welcomes these commitments, which respond directly tosome of the key recommendations of the sector, including this Group.4 The UK SoftPower Group stands ready to support the Government in designing and delivering theseinitiatives and to help capitalise upon this opportunity to strengthen UK soft power. This paper builds on the previous framework set out by the UK Soft Power Group andresponds to the Government’s commitment to strengthen UK soft power. It aims to fostera shared understanding between the Government and the wider soft power ecosystemof the full scope of the UK’s diverse and dynamic range of soft power assets and their strategic utility as prominent components within the UK’s foreign policy and diplomaticarsenal. It seeks to support the practical advancement of the Government’s planningon soft power, following the creation of the new UK Soft Power Council. It also looks tosupport both the design and implementation pha