Moe, a continuation of politics by other means ?
By: Charz
Tags: Carl von Clausewitz, Cute Power, fascinating trinity, Geogramscism, Kawaii Power, Moe, Soft Power, wunderliche Dreifaltigkeit
Category: Codex, Japan, To Aru Majutsu no Index
Moe with Irony ~To Aru Majutsu no Index
Soft Power
That point is not lost on the Japanese government, which sees the “soft power” possibilities of the country’s artistic prowess.
“To improve your image in the world, you have to make use of all the tools available,” says Kenjiro Monji, Japan’s former ambassador to Iraq who recently became director general of public diplomacy, a post that was established three years ago.
He is quick to note that pop culture doesn’t need government’s promotional hand.
But, he says, he can play a role as Japan takes note of a three-fold increase since 1990 – to 3 million – in those studying Japanese. The number of Americans studying in Japan rose 13 percent between 2005 and 2007, according to the New-York based Institute of International Education.
“We can use the attractive power of popular culture as an introduction,” says Mr. Monji.
Manga: Another way of seeing the world, Csmonitor, Amelia Newcomb , December 16, 2008
Clausewitz modern misinterpretation
Clausewitz used a dialectical method to construct his argument, leading to frequent modern misinterpretation. As described by Christopher Bassford, professor of strategy at the National War College of the United States:
One of the main sources of confusion about Clausewitz’s approach lies in his dialectical method of presentation. For example, Clausewitz’s famous line that “War is merely a continuation of politics,” (“Der Krieg ist eine bloße Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln“) while accurate as far as it goes, was not intended as a statement of fact. It is the antithesis in a dialectical argument whose thesis is the point—made earlier in the analysis—that “war is nothing but a duel [or wrestling match, a better translation of the German Zweikampf] on a larger scale.” His synthesis, which resolves the deficiencies of these two bold statements, says that war is neither “nothing but” an act of brute force nor “merely” a rational act of politics or policy. This synthesis lies in his “fascinating trinity” [wunderliche Dreifaltigkeit]: a dynamic, inherently unstable interaction of the forces of violent emotion, chance, and rational calculation.
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