DURHAM, N.C. - Often world power is framed in terms of military and economic might, but Joseph S. Nye, Jr., the former U.S. assistant secretary of defense, pioneered the concept of "soft power," or the power of influence in international relations.

Nye, a Harvard University professor, will talk about "Soft Power and Obama's Grand Strategy," at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. The lecture will be held in Fleishman Commons. It is part of the Karl von der Heyden Distinguished Lecture series and is free and open to the public.

"Through a series of symbolic gestures and speeches in Prague, Cairo, Accra, the United Nations and other locations, Obama worked wonders in restoring American soft or attractive power in his first year of office," Nye wrote in a recent article. "What will it mean to wield power in the global information age of the 21st century?"

In 2004, Nye published "Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics." He is also the author of "Understanding International Conflict," and "The Power Game: A Washington Novel."

Nye, the former dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, served as assistant secretary of defense for the International Security Affairs in 1994. He also chaired the National Intelligence Council, and was deputy to the under secretary of state for security assistance, science and technology.

"Professor Nye is a one-of-a-kind master of multiple trades. His scholarly work has profoundly shaped the study of international relations," said Peter Feaver, a Duke political science professor and director of the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, one of the event's co-sponsors.

"His policy work at senior levels in several administrations has also profoundly shaped the conduct of international relations, especially American foreign policy in Asia. He also happens to be a superior teacher with a rare gift for helping students understand the complexities of the modern world," Feaver said.

This lecture is co-sponsored by the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy and is part of the Sanford School Inaugural Series.