RULES OF ATTRACTION

A deep and character-driven look at the striking ways culture and soft power shape the rise and fall of nations, offering a new way of seeing the world and the improbable ways art and culture intersect with national identity and global power shifts.

As a journalist, Martin Gelin has spent two decades working at the intersection of culture and foreign affairs. He came to realize how these two worlds increasingly overlap, whether it's in US Congressional hearings on TikTok, the Chinese government banning Korean pop music, Nigeria's quest to return historical artifacts from colonial powers, or Japan's surprising role in shaping the sound of reggae music. In RULES OF ATTRACTION, Gelin explains the value of soft power in an increasingly belligerent world. For small countries, soft power is an existential issue. If Ukraine, South Korea or Taiwan are attacked or threatened by neighboring despots, their survival depends on their ability to attract allies. If people like you, they'll do more to help you in a crisis. For large countries, soft power can make the difference between rising and falling. If hard power is about coercion, soft power is about persuasion, "the ability to influence foreign countries without shooting at them" as a diplomat puts it in this book. RULES OF ATTRACTION offers a fascinating and vital lens to appreciate how our world is ordered and influenced. Martin Gelin is the U.S. Correspondent for Dagens Nyheter, a national newspaper in Sweden, who has lived in and worked from New York for over 22 years. He's traveled the world to report on culture, diplomacy, and international affairs, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, Bloomberg, The New Republic, The Guardian, and many others. He's the author of four books published books in Sweden with both Atlas and Natur & Kultur. He will publish RULES OF ATTRACTION in Sweden with Volante.