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Silk Roads at the British Museum - Soft Power in an "Inclusive" World

It is fascinating to see how the west is adapting its concept of soft power. In times past, soft power meant convincing (aka imposing) via culture and economics, whether it be art, or film, or gastronomy, or industrial products or the political system. Even pretty girls - Marilyn Monroe or the Kardashians as weapons of soft power. But whatever the medium, soft power was all about making others recognize the attractiveness (superiority) of the west, so that the object of the soft power aspire to be like the west, and, of course, accept western leadership.

In the last years a new concept of soft power has emerged. Rather than a demonstration of (supposed) superiority, this new soft power is all about inclusivity. "Look how much we appreciate you!." "We love your food/music/art". "You are so important and unique!"

But the goal of this new soft power is not equality, it is assimilation, absorption of the strengths of the others through flattery, while maintaining the centrality and indispensability of those wielding the soft power.

The Silk Roads exhibition currently at the British Museum is a perfect example of this new soft power. Beautiful objects exquisitely displayed and a mesmerizing narrative. But interestingly, if you take a step back, the exhibition is actually mostly about the west. Apparently the Silk Road is as much about Scandinavia and western Europe as about Central Asia or China...
Camel caravans crossing desert dunes, merchants trading silks and spices at bazaars – these are the images that come to mind when we think of the Silk Roads. But the reality goes far beyond this. In fact, so far beyond this that, if we are to judge solely from this exhibition, the Silk Road is not so much a unique series of traders, peoples and cultures, but rather basically a trade route to, for and about Europe.

Thus is the new soft power, "you are so fascinating and exquisite."

("But it is still all about us...") Some Final Thoughts...

What the Silk Roads exhibition ultimately reveals is not the wonder of connection or the mutual exchange of civilizations, but the West’s relentless ability to insert itself into every story. It’s not enough to admire the Silk Roads as they were: a dynamic, multipolar network of cultures spanning Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. No, the narrative must be reframed: the Silk Roads were really about Western civilization all along. How convenient.

This isn’t inclusivity; it’s appropriation with a smile. The objects are exquisite, the narrative mesmerizing, but the subtext is clear: “You are fascinating, but only because we’ve chosen to acknowledge you. And your story only matters because it ties back to us.”

The British Museum doesn’t just display artifacts; it displays the mechanics of modern soft power, flattery as a form of dominance, “appreciation” as a method of absorption. Beneath the surface of the exhibit lies an implicit message: the Silk Roads may have stretched thousands of miles, but all roads lead to London.

So here we are, dazzled by treasures that represent the richness of the Global Majority, only to find they’ve been co-opted into the service of Western centrality. This is the paradox of modern soft power: it promises respect and inclusion, but only as long as the story still revolves around the West.

Perhaps that’s the enduring truth: no matter how fascinating the “other” may be, in this narrative, they’re never the protagonist, just an exquisite supporting character in the same old Western script.

- Gerry Nolan

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