Irene S. Wu, Ph.D.
Expert on the international politics and history of
communications technology.
Sharing how to understand technology with
evidence from research and insights from scholarship
Measuring soft power in international relations.
Lynne Rienner, 2024.
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Paperback ($29.95), e-book ($29.95), and hardback ($105) available at Lynne Rienner.
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Digital datasets for book available at Digital Georgetown.
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2026
Book talk on China and Taiwan, June 16, 2026, at JF Books, Washington, D.C.
"Applying the Soft Power Rubric: Global Rankings 2022, Germany and US Major Soft Power Relationships, Measuring Europe 5 combined Soft Power; Taiwan and China Per Capita Soft Power, and US Recent Trends". Paper presentation, March 22, 2026, International Studies Association, Columbus, Ohio.
2025
"Assessing China's soft power." US-China Nexus Podcast with Eleanor M. Albert, Georgetown University. November 5, 2025.
"In tumult, understanding soft power." Politics and Rights Review. September 8, 2025. "En medio del tumulto, comprender el poder blando." "Dans le tumulte, comprendre la puissance douce."
Interview with Bill Miller, Global Connections Television (GCTV). July 2025
"How is China using Soft Power?" Interview with the National Committee on US-China Relations. May 8, 2025.
Book review by Steven B. Rothman in Perspectives on Politics. January 2025. "Overall, Wu presents a compelling case for the importance of emphasizing the behavioral side of soft power and measuring human interaction as part of the soft power concept. . . Wu’s Measuring Soft Power in International Relations advances our understanding of soft power measurement through the Soft Power Rubric, which conceptualizes soft power through cross-border human interactions and cultural exposure."
2024
"Openness is the key to soft power," in Politics and Rights Review. November 2024.
Book: Measuring soft power in international relations. Lynne Rienner, 2024.
Digital datasets for book available at Digital Georgetown.
2023
"Getting to 'we' from 'they': new ways to measure soft power in international relations." November 20, 2023. https://thethreo.com/getting-to-we-from-they-new-ways-to-measure-soft-power-in-international-relations/
"Tools for measuring soft power: a review of recent quantitative analysis." In Routledge handbook on soft power (second edition), Naren Chitty, ed. (2023)
Video of book launch. Link to author manuscript.
“Goal! Soft power at the Women’s World Cup for Soccer ANZ 2023” Lighthouse Commentary for Soft Power Analysis and Resource Center (SPARC), Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. June 1, 2023 https://www.mq.edu.au/research/research-centres-groups-and-facilities/centres/soft-power-analysis-and-resource-centre/lighthouse-commentary/commentary
2022
"The Smithsonian's soft power: how foreigners engage the US national museum." Journal of Political Power 2022 (September).
Free e-print. Link to author manuscript.
2021
"India and the Soft Power Rubric: The Relevance of Migrants, Students, Visitors and Movies." India Review Vol 20, 2021 - Issue 4. Free e-print. Link to author manuscript.
2020
October 29. Video, "Cultural values and political economy and the case for multilateralism." Wilson Center for International Scholars.
September 21. Video. "Comparing US and China's soft power in the European Union and ASEAN (Association for Southeast Asian Nations." University of Texas, Austin.
August. Book chapter: "Applying the Soft Power Rubric: How study abroad data reveals international cultural relations" in Cultural Values and Political Economy, J.P. Singh. Stanford University Press, 2020. See video overview.
June 19. Video. Discussant for "Southeast Asia's Anglophone elites and US foreign policy" by Nobohiro Aizawa. Wilson Center.
June 3. Video. "The future of multilateralism and global governance." Panel at Global Solutions: World Policy Forum.
April 14. Blogpost. Alumni spotlight: Measuring nations' soft power. Wilson Center.
March 3. Video: Geopolitics and Geoeconomics of Submarine Cable Networks. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
January 31. China and Africa program: Bureau of African Affairs. US State Department.
2019
June 6. Audio: "Measuring soft power in the international system." US Department of Defense, Strategic Multilayer Assessment Program. Audio available at NSITeam.
May and June. Foreign Service Institute Tradecraft Training Module: Measuring soft power. US Department of State.
April 2. Video :Future of Statecraft. Center for Strategic and Security Studies.
March 5. Report: Decadal Survey of Social and Behavioral Sciences for Applications to National Security. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
2018
December 5. Measuring Soft Power in the International System: Cultural Festivals and International Education. Dupont Summit 2018. Policy Studies Organiszation.
May 30. Program: Asserting Taiwan's International Space: the Challenges Ahead for Taipei's Leadership. Wilson Center. Map presentation.
May 1. Report: Soft power amidst great power competition. Wilson Center. Map presentation.
April 18. Major powers: Soft Power Rubric Applied
International Studies Association. International Studies Association. Map presentation.
February 8. Op-ed. We all contribute to a nation's soft power. Real Clear World.
February 7. News report: 中国与俄罗斯软实力比较. Boxun.
February 5. Video: Can soft power be measured? Wilson Center.
February 5. Measuring Russia and China's soft power. From Bytes to Bucks: Soft power, policy, tech, and culture. Wilson Center. Audio. Map presentation.