Obituary: Joseph S. Nye Jr. (1937–2025)
- Doubravka Olšáková
Abstract
This obituary pays tribute to Joseph S. Nye Jr. (1937–2025), one of the most influential thinkers in international relations of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It traces his intellectual evolution from the early critique of realist orthodoxy to the formulation of key concepts such as soft power, smart power, and neoliberal institutionalism. The text highlights Nye’s dual role as a scholar and a policymaker, emphasizing his ability to translate theory into actionable foreign policy, notably during his service under the Carter and Clinton administrations. It reflects on Nye’s enduring efforts to embed ethics and legitimacy into strategic thinking and leadership, which ultimately shaped the global vocabulary of power. The obituary also situates Nye’s work in dialogue with figures such as Henry Kissinger, and revisits his influence on U.S.–Asia relations, NATO enlargement, and debates on American decline. The text concludes with some reflections on Nye’s legacy as a moral voice in foreign policy and a diagnostician of the changing nature of power in an interconnected world.
Keywords
Joseph Nye, soft power, smart power, obituary, neoliberal institutionalism, regimes, IR theory
Author Biography
Doubravka Olšáková
Doubravka Olšáková is a senior researcher at the Institute of Political Studies, the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague. Her research focuses on the intersection of the history of science and technology, science diplomacy, and environmental history. She is actively involved in academic life and serves on various committees, including the DHST Committee on Science, Technology, and Diplomacy, which she co-founded in 2017, as well as editorial boards such as that of the Oxford University Press book series Science and Technology in International Affairs. She is also Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Centaurus, the journal of the European Society for the History of Science (ESHS).