Sign-In
Cart
The Soft Power Game: How Culture, Language and Sport Shape World Order
Paperback
Series: The Global Fault Lines
Sports GeneralTheater HistoryInternational Relations
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 13 2026
Pages: 512
Weight: 1.35
Height: 1.27 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Culture is power. And the competition to wield it is reshaping the world order.
When Joseph Nye coined the term soft power in 1990, he described the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion. Three decades later, soft power has become the primary battlefield of great-power competition. Hollywood projects American values to billions. The English language shapes global thought. Confucius Institutes embed Chinese narratives in universities worldwide. Football stadiums and Olympic podiums become diplomatic theatres. And TikTok algorithms reshape political discourse in real time.
In The Soft Power Game, Nicholas Holt reveals how culture, language, sport, education, and media have become the weapons of the twenty-first century's great-power competition. This is not a book about entertainment. It is a book about power - the power to shape what people want, what they believe, and who they become.
Inside, you will discover:
- Hollywood's hegemony: how American film created the global imagination - and how streaming is changing the game
- The English language as empire: how the tongue of Shakespeare became the tongue of power, and who is challenging it
- China's cultural ambition: Confucius Institutes, state media expansion, and the beautiful-game diplomacy of football investments
- Sport as strategy: how the Olympics, the World Cup, and even esports have become arenas of national prestige
- The narrative war: how disinformation, algorithmic curation, and influence operations are the new frontlines
Who needs this book?
- Media and entertainment professionals navigating global markets
- Educators and policymakers shaping cultural diplomacy
- Investors assessing the intangible assets of national power
The soft power game is not a sideshow to hard power. It is the arena in which the long-term loyalties of humanity are being decided. This book tells you who is winning - and why.
Also from
Holt, Nicholas
The World After Globalisation: Supply Chains, Sovereignty and the New Regionalism
Holt, Nicholas
Paperback
The Petrodollar End: Energy, Currency and the Quiet Death of Dollar Dominance
Holt, Nicholas
Paperback
Europe After the Dream: Identity, Immigration and the Fracturing of the West
Holt, Nicholas
Paperback
The Middle East Reset: Oil, Religion and the New Alliances Reshaping the Region
Holt, Nicholas
Paperback
Also in
Sports General
The Formative Years of Relativity: The History and Meaning of Einstein's Princeton Lectures
Gutfreund, Hanoch
Renn, Jürgen
Hardcover
The Science Magpie: Fascinating Facts, Stories, Poems, Diagrams and Jokes Plucked from Science
Flynn, Simon
Paperback
Every Dog Deserves an Adventure: Amazing Stories of Camping with Dogs
Tracosas, L. J.
Camping with Dogs
Hardcover
Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
Schur, Michael
Posnanski, Joe
Hardcover
I Told You So!: Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right
Kaplan, Matt
Hardcover
Pardon My Book: Ten Years of the Best (and Worst) in Sports from Pardon My Take
Big Cat
Commenter, Pft
Hardcover
This Is about Running. This Is Not about Running.: Lessons for Between and Beyond the Start and Finish Line
Bennett, Chris
Hardcover
Long Range Shooting Handbook: Complete Beginner's Guide to Precision Rifle Shooting
Cleckner, Ryan M.
Paperback
The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
Gallwey, W. Timothy
Paperback
The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball's Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses
Baird, Addy
Hardcover
The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts
Schaerlaeckens, Leander
Hardcover
A Pox on Fools: The True Believers, Grifters, and Cynics Who Convinced Us to Reject Vaccines
Levenson, Thomas
Hardcover
The Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide: Emergency Preparedness for Any Disaster
Alton, Amy
Alton, Joseph
Paperback
The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy
Bauer, Susan Wise
Hardcover
The Diet-Proof Body: 5 Simple Habits to Lose Fat, Keep It Off and Escape Diet Prison for Good
Harrison, Trent
Paperback
The Playbook: The Hidden Forces Shaping Winners and Losers in the Modern NFL
Robinson, Joshua
Clegg, Jonathan
Hardcover
The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water
Ballard, Chris
Hardcover
Compete: Developing a Mental Playbook for Performance Under Pressure in Sport
Abrahams, Dan
Paperback
Relegated: One American's Pints-And-Pies Journey from the Top to the Bottom of English Football
Smith, Todd
Hardcover
The Power of Life: The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Riskin, Jessica
Hardcover
The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
Sobel, Dava
Paperback
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection (Large Print Edition)
Green, John
Paperback
The Ultimate Soccer Jersey Collection: Iconic Kits from the World's Greatest Game
Football Shirts, Classic
Hardcover
The Age of Alchemy: The Secret History of Chemistry from Ancient Magic to Modern Science
Chapman, Kit
Hardcover
Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter (Large Print Edition)
Tyson, Neil DeGrasse
Hardcover
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf
Penick, Harvey
Hardcover
Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education
Pilates, Joseph H.
Paperback
Pheasant Tail Simplicity: Recipes and Techniques for Successful Fly Fishing
Mathews, Craig
Chouinard, Yvon
Mazzo, Mauro
Paperback
Inside the Owner's Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports
Rubenstein, David M.
Hardcover
2084 and the AI Revolution, Updated and Expanded Edition: How Artificial Intelligence Informs Our Future
Lennox, John C.
Paperback
Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are
Boyle, Rebecca
Paperback
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Paperback
Alchemy: An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science
Ball, Philip
Hardcover
String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis: A Library of America Special Publication
Wallace, David Foster
Hardcover
Coaching with Heart: Taoist Wisdom to Inspire, Empower, and Lead
Lynch, Jerry
Huang, Chungliang Al
Paperback
The Powerful Primate: How Controlling Energy Enabled Us to Build Civilization
Ennos, Roland
Hardcover
Your Guide to the 2026 World Cup: Everything You Need to Know about the Players and Teams
Stay, Shane
Paperback
The Inner Game of Tennis (50th Anniversary Edition): The Classic Guide to Peak Performance
Gallwey, W. Timothy
Hardcover
How to Read Nature: Awaken Your Senses to the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
Gooley, Tristan
Paperback
Bioinspired: How Nature Made Us Modern, Drives Today's Technological Innovation, and Inspires a Future Worth Inventing
Stier, Samuel Cord
Hardcover
Todo Es Tuberculosis. La Historia de la Infección Más Mortal de la Humanidad / Everything Is Tuberculosis
Green, John
Paperback
Knicker Bonkers: The New York Knicks' Wild NBA Championship Run to End a 53-Year Title Drought
New York Post
Paperback
The Great Math War: How Three Brilliant Minds Fought for the Foundations of Mathematics
Bardi, Jason Socrates
Hardcover
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
Feynman, Richard P.
Paperback
A Year of Forest School: Outdoor Play and Skill-Building Fun for Every Season
Houghton, Peter
Worroll, Jane
Paperback
Science of Cycling: Transform Your Ride, Gain Strength, Revolutionize Your Training
Bailey, David
Paperback
Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being
Theise, Neil
Paperback
Interregnum: Inside the Grueling and Glamorous Battle to Become the Next King of Chess
Himelfarb, Jordan
Hardcover
The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World
Brannen, Peter
Paperback
The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 Into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport
Robinson, Joshua
Clegg, Jonathan
Hardcover
Horse Country: Inside the World of Equestrian Style and Sport, from British Dressage to Western Riding
O'Shea-Evans, Kathryn
Hardcover
Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete
Johnston, Scott
House, Steve
Paperback
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess (Large Print Edition)
Mezrich, Ben
Paperback
Lottery Books; How To Win The Powerball Lottery.: Proven Methods And Strategies To Win The Powerball Lottery
Secrets, Powerball Money
Paperback
Quadrivium: The Four Classical Liberal Arts of Number, Geometry, Music, & Cosmology
Ashton, Anthony
Sutton, Daud
Lundy, Miranda
Hardcover
Christ, Science, and Reason: What We Can Know about Jesus, Mary, and Miracles
Spitzer, Robert
Paperback