Editing Soft power (section)

=== United States ===
{{main|American imperialism|Culture of the United States}}

The [[foreign relations of the United States]] has long had a great deal of soft power.<ref>{{cite book |first=Joseph S. |last=Nye |author-link=Joseph S. Nye |chapter=The future of soft power in US foreign policy |title=Soft Power and US Foreign Policy |publisher=[[Routledge]] |date=2010 |pages=16–23}}</ref> Examples of the impact include [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s [[four freedoms]] in Europe to motivate the Allies in [[World War II]]; people behind the [[Iron Curtain]] listening to the government's foreign propaganda arm [[Radio Free Europe]]; newly liberated Afghans in 2001 asking for a copy of the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] and young Afghans today surreptitiously watching banned American videos and satellite television broadcasts in the privacy of their homes.{{sfn|Nye|2004a|p=x}} America's early commitment to [[religious tolerance|religious toleration]], for example, was a powerful element of its overall appeal to potential immigrants; and American aid in the reconstruction of Europe after World War II was a propaganda victory to show off the prosperity and the generosity of the people of the United States.

[[American culture]] has been embraced around the world for many decades. Due to America's superpower status, American culture is often seen as "hegemonic". American dominance and the popularization of American media largely contributed to the English language (particularly American English) becoming the global lingua franca. American music has had a wide influence over the development of music around the globe. American architecture and urban planning, American political and economic philosophy, and American film and television have played strong roles in shaping both western and non-western culture. American cuisine, fashion trends, literature, theatre, and dance have also widely influenced global culture of the modern era, and various subcultures that were born in the United States, such as the [[hippie]], [[hip-hop]], [[punk rock]], [[rock and roll]], [[Greaser (subculture)|greaser]], [[grunge]], and [[Beatnik]] movements (among others), have influenced mainstream culture of the 20th and 21st centuries. American technology and social media companies hold a monopoly over the world's digital space.

Studies of American broadcasting into the [[Soviet bloc]], and testimonials from Czech president [[Václav Havel]], Polish president [[Lech Wałęsa]], and Russian president [[Boris Yeltsin]], support that soft power efforts of the United States and its allies during the Cold War were ultimately successful in creating the favorable conditions that led to the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>Carnes Lord, "Public Diplomacy and Soft Power", in Waller, ed., ''Strategic Influence: Public Diplomacy, Counterpropaganda and Political Warfare'' (IWP Press, 2008)</ref>{{blockquote|Satellite TV is actively promoting American soft power in the Arab world in ways that the United States has been incapable of doing. The launch of the Arabic-language [[Alhurra]] satellite channel in early 2004 to provide news and entertainment in ways more beneficial to the U.S., marked an important turning point in U.S. public diplomacy development. Though it calls itself the largest Arabic-language news organization in the world, the Virginia-based Alhurra lacks the cachet and brand recognition of [[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]], but its balanced presentation of news has earned it a small but significant viewership. Controversial innovations in radio broadcasting that target young mass audiences through a mix of light news and mild American popular music – [[Radio Sawa]] in [[Arabic]] and [[Radio Farda]] in [[Persian language|Persian]] – have captured a substantial market share in their target regions.<ref name="Lord, Carnes 2008. p 59-71" />
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