Power in the Melian Dialogue

  Jack Cahalane

Professor Shirk

POLS 170

February 2, 2022

Blog #1

    The Melian Dialogue by Thucydides describes a situation in which the Athenian army gives the inhabitants of the island of Melos, Greece an ultimatum: surrender and join Athens or die. The Melian Dialogue presents a fascinating example of coercion through the use of hard power and the importance of soft power in situations such as this one. While reading this, I realized not only the extant coercion can play in political situations, especially military examples in times of war, but furthermore the importance soft power truly can play in place of resorting to hard power. In this example, wherein the Melians were given the choice between surrendering and joining Athens or dying, the use of coercion is epitomized. As described in class, power can be expressed in a number of ways and can also be defined in a variety as well. Whether it be the coercion of one "man's" will over another "man," the influence one exerts on another, or the ability to collective to work toward a common goal, the notion of power can clearly be seen in the Melian Dialogue. In this example, the notion of power in this instance can be seen in a fashion more reminiscent of the realist interpretation of power. In the Melian Dialogue, this notion is clearly seen through the traditional realist notions of power expressed primarily through the military and coercion. In this example, Athens had approached the small island nation of Melos backed by their impressive navy. In many ways, this reminded me of President Theodore Roosevelt's interpretation of power in international relations and global politics relative to "Big Stick" diplomacy. In this example, Big Stick diplomacy relates to the idea that a nation should play a "diplomatic" role that is completely backed by a monstrous military adding "credence" to all their claims while avoiding retaliation. In turn, this Big Stick diplomacy largely relies on pure military hard power and fear in order to coerce other powers to back down in a fashion that can be colloquially described as: do this or else. As a result, the Melian Dialogue reminded me of President Theodore Roosevelt's Big Stick diplomacy as the Athenian military attempted to "negotiate diplomatically" to the Melians backed by the threat that the Athenians will destroy the Melians if they do not submit to their terms. Although potentially in era of Classical Antiquity this may have been somewhat humane in regards to the fact that the Athenians did not immediately destroy the Melians due to their Spartan ties, yet even by ancient standards, the Athenian show of hard power and coercion was shocking. Furthermore, although the show of force of hard power by the Athenian military may have been impressive as a single instance, I believe that the Melian Dialogue displays the importance of soft power in international relations and politics especially in times of war. I have come to this conclusion as I believe that if Athens had cultivated a cultural paragon that would have been admirable and inspiring to all, I believe that the tragedy which occurred to the Melians could have entirely been avoided. If the Athenians had cultivated their soft power more than their hard power, the entire calamity could have been potentially avoided. I believe that if Athens had impressive soft power capabilities, the Melians would have been completely persuaded by the Athenian's ultimatum and would have wanted to join the culture that the Athenians would have been able to provide. Although a true tragedy, I believe that the Melian Dialogue presents a valuable lesson on the global political stage and in international relations. As politics has progressed into the modern era, I believe that some of the most powerful nations on Earth socio-politically have progressed to this prestige due in large part to their realization of the importance of soft power. Although varying amongst various pollings, countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Germany, America, and Japan, amongst others, have cultivated their soft power to an extent which has become renowned globally. The cultural aspects of France, the educational systems in the United Kingdom, the craftsmanship of Germany, the cultural aspects of freedom in America, and the deeply unique entertainment system produced within Japanese society are all clear examples of soft power exertion on the world stage. In tandem with strong economies, democratic systems, and backed by hard power, the addition of soft power has ensured that these nations have dominated international politics while remaining relatively unprovoked. In conclusion, the Melian Dialogue by Thucydides presents a fascinating and tragic case study to international relations along with global socio-politics. The Melian Dialogue presents clear cases of the general notions of realism, power, hard power, soft power, and coercion. Finally, in the modern era, the Melian Dialogue presents an admonition of the strict usage of hard power and the importance of soft power.