Harvard Ban Shows the US Is Getting It All Wrong in Asia
To win the soft power war, Washington should stop targeting international students and publishing cringe-worthy memes.
The US is squandering the soft-power advantage.
Photographer: Mel Musto/Bloomberg
Every strategist knows that wars are not just won by force. Soft power matters, which is why the Trump administration’s latest move to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students will resonate so badly across Asia.
America and China are already locked in a battle for influence — but Washington risks sabotaging those goals. Even before the Harvard controversy emerged Thursday, the US embassy in Singapore posted a video on social media this week likening China’s sweeping South China Sea territorial claims to disputes over shared spaces in Singapore’s public housing blocks. It did more than just raise eyebrows.