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How soft power fell out of fashion
A once-influential concept looks dated in a world where hard power counts ever more
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Australia is a country that had to fight for relevance in the past but now has rather too much for its own comfort.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Janan Ganesh
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The omni-talented entertainer Barry Humphries died
In the middle of the last century, Humphries, Germaine Greer, Clive James and Robert Hughes brought their lively minds from Down Under to Up Over. Around the same time, Australia invested in film-makers and (with no small pay-off) sports coaches. Its wine penetrated foreign markets. Its coffee culture would become the world’s best, or at least fussiest. Throw in some favours from providence – sunshine, coastlines – and the projection of national charm was awesome.
