Conversation: Soft Power in Hard Times. Art, Culture and National Security

Описание: In a time marked by disinformation, geopolitical tensions and failing democracies, when the rules-based international order appears to be shifting, culture is playing an increasingly important role in shaping a country’s image, with significant implications for security policy.
Today, using Ukraine as an example, we see how soft power has been decisive in mobilising the support needed to defend its sovereignty and ensure its survival.

In his book "Rules of Attraction: Why Soft Power Matters in Hard Times", author Martin Gelin describes how certain regimes are investing record sums in art and culture, sponsoring exhibitions at some of the world’s leading art institutions, financing major art collections and increasingly spending on diplomatic initiatives and foreign aid. All this gives autocratic states a troubling influence over the values, ideas and cultural expressions that shape our world.

At the same time, many liberal democracies in the Western world are deprioritising culture, art and public diplomacy, revealing a profound underestimation of the importance of soft power.

How do art and culture intersect with national security in the geopolitics of today? How is soft power used to shape global narratives and how can European democracies counter authoritarian propaganda and disinformation?

A conversation with:

• Eva Nguyen Binh, Director of the Institut français
• Martin Gelin, Swedish journalist and award-winning author of seven published titles on American politics, foreign affairs and culture.
• Madeleine Sjöstedt, Director of the Swedish Institute

The conversation is moderated by Gallagher Fenwick, Franco-American journalist and senior international affairs correspondent.

At the Institut suédois on 13th February 2026.

#SoftPower #culture #geopolitics