Authors

Discussion

The global balance of power is shifting as the United States’ dominance faces growing challenge from the BRICS, with China at the forefront. Fuelled by rapid economic growth, Beijing has expanded its global reach through investment projects, cultural exchanges, and academic collaborations. While often framed as soft power, evidence suggests China’s strategies go further, blending attraction with coercion in what scholars call “sharp power.” Unlike traditional soft power, sharp power seeks not only to persuade but also to constrain criticism, raising concerns about its impact on liberal democracies. Analysts warn that such tactics may quietly erode democratic institutions, particularly in younger democracies lacking entrenched safeguards, and accelerate broader geopolitical shifts at a moment of rising populism and disinformation.

Yet much of the existing debate remains Western-centric and theoretical, offering limited insight into how sharp power actually operates across different sectors of society or how it is perceived by elites and non-elites alike. This project addresses these gaps through comparative case studies of two Eastern European democracies. By examining sharp power’s effects across media, academia, culture, and publishing, it seeks to move beyond surface-level critiques and provide a more nuanced understanding of China’s influence, its reception, and its potential to reshape democratic resilience.