The Instrument of Soft Power in French Foreign Affairs

The Thesis deals with the concept of Soft Power and its tools which serve as efficient Foreign Policy assets. Firstly a theoretical background of Soft Power is provided along with a comparative perspective of Soft Power with other forms of Power namely Hard and Smart Power. Secondly, the field of study gets narrowed down towards French Foreign Policy in Africa through its Soft Power resources, most importantly the role of the French language is evaluated. French presence Africa is contextualized historically with various power methods studied in addition to Soft Power. The effects of Soft Power instruments are mentioned, the way Francophonie stimulates trade relations and partnerships allowing economic growth is one of them, but the focus also shifts towards the impact and organisation of French cultural diplomacy and its institutions. Lastly, the work dives into the current problematic of Franco-African relations while explaining the reasons of the ongoing decline of French influence in the region with the idea that Soft Power should replace the shrinking Hard Power tools used in French Foreign Policy on the African continent.