Weapons of Mass Distraction: Soft Power and American Empire

by Matthew Fraser

In its march to becoming the world's first hyper-power, the United States has been as dependent on its soft power - the allure of American lifestyles and culture - as it has been on the hard power of military might. In Weapons of Mass Distraction , Matthew Fraser examines the role of American pop cultural industries in international affairs.

Fraser focuses on the major areas of soft power - movies, television, pop music, and fast food - and traces the origins, history and current influence of these on U.S. foreign policy. He describes how the American film, television, and music industries enjoy a ubiquitous global presence that has made them indispensable to the U.S. government, which has often gone so far as to fund them directly, including the White House-sponsored radio station in the Middle East launched with the hopes of winning over Muslim youths with American pop songs.

A Coca-Cola lobbyist once famously declared that "The best barometer of the relationship of the U.S. and any other country is the way Coca-Cola is treated." Fraser proves this claim isn't to be taken lightly. He charts the global spread of the fast food industry, the role of Coca-Cola and McDonald's in American foreign policy and the recent rise of their the anti-globalization movement.

Do things really go better with Coca-Cola? Fraser's answer is a resounding yes. While American soft power remains a contentious issue, he believes it promotes values and beliefs that are ultimately good for the rest of the world. Still, what are the future implications of American soft power? Will national identities decline as the world order is transformed into a state of "electronic feudalism" where there is no central power? Weapons of Mass Distraction provides an engaging, enlightening, and provocative look at the future of American foreign policy and popular culture in the 21st century.

Genres: History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Lives in Paris, former newspaper columnist, editor-in-chief of a national broadsheet, co-host of national television programme. Currently a university professor and butler to a bichon called Hector. Author of five books, most recently In Truth: A History of Lies from Ancient Rome to Modern America.

Reviews

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

America's power isn't only military and economic but cultural. American cultural values through movies, television, pop music, and fast food make up it's soft power. Even though America is dominant in it's hard power if it doesn't concentrate on it's soft power it will lose it's global dominance. This dominance is not absolute already as it is hard to ship some American values to other countries because of the country's history and culture. On the flip side, even other countries have their soft power and infiltrate America with it's own cultural values through the same means and that can serve as the opportunity for the decline of the American empire in the age of information.

[Fin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spells Muslims as Moslem despite the fact that it was published in 2003.
So anti-French I literally went out to buy a glass of wine to drink while reading it.

[Joe Boudreault · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2003 book is a documentary on American culture around the world in general, and about the affects of popular culture from America on other cultures. Some countries, and some peoples, believe that American ideals and lifestyles are influencing other places too much because of the rapid transmission of habits and commodities around the world. This is true, but Fraser argues convincingly that it isn't a bad thing. The four major influences of American culture around the world is that which derives from the international corporations of Coca Cola, McDonalds, Hollywood, and the TV industry. In a way, these pervasive industries are so prevalent everywhere in the world at large that they in effect help spread the gospel of American culture and ideals. In fact, the White House uses these commercial operations to help utilize American foreign policy. Fraser subtitles his book Soft Power and American Empire.

The influence of American culture and the wholesaling of American merchandise does indeed influence peoples lives, but they still chose, and as Fraser points out, more people chose to move to America than anywhere else. The finale result is that the American culture so widely spread is a good thing and it reflects that this culture is better in many ways because the American Way has proven to be one of the most open, tolerant, and widely accepted lifestyles in the world. The USA has truly become a soft empire, but is still undoubtedly the world's most influential power to date.