In 2011, Libyan revolutionaries initially struggled to overthrow authoritarian leader Muammar Gaddafi until these rebels received military support from the United States and NATO. How might "soft power" and "hard power" have been utilized alternatively in the revolutionaries' struggle against the Libyan regime? How might each of these two types of power be said to have contributed to the success in defeating that regime?

What will be an ideal response?


The ideal answer should include:
1. Describe the aspects of "soft" and "hard" power, and briefly profile the opposing sides of the Libyan civil war.
2. Explain why the revolutionaries struggled to overthrow Gaddafi and how military support from the United States and NATO made a critical difference in their struggle.
3. Evaluate the role of diplomacy, strategic communications, foreign assistance, civic action, and economic reconstruction and development (as soft power) in the Libyan revolutionaries' struggle, and the role of military and aggressive economic influence (as hard power) in that same struggle.
4. Assess how key elements of each type of power might have aided in the defeat of the Gaddafi regime.
5. Offer a concise summary and effective conclusion.

Political Science

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