The Smart Power of the United States Under the Presidency of Joe Biden: A Case Study on Strategic Competition with China

This article analyzes the Biden administration’s deployment of smart power - the strategic integration of hard power coercion and soft power attraction within the context of U.S.-China strategic competition from 2021 to 2024. Employing a qualitative case study grounded in Joseph Nye’s smart power framework, the research investigates how U.S. foreign policy was structurally recalibrated through mini-lateral alliances, technology decoupling, and the defense of international norms. The findings indicate that the current administration systematically transitioned from the unilateral transactionalism of its predecessor to an institutionalized, alliance-centered smart power strategy. The study elucidates the balance between commanding mechanisms, such as integrated deterrence and supply chain restrictions, and enticing mechanisms, such as climate partnerships and vaccine diplomacy. Ultimately, the paper conceptualizes the enduring organizational constraints on U.S. smart power amid Beijing’s counter-hedging strategies and broader systemic transformations.