The African Union’s Soft Power: An Assessment of Transnational Power of Attraction

ABSTRACT Soft power is almost exclusively associated with states. International organizations, however, given their multilateral character, possess meaningful power of attraction that could be wielded to project their norms and ideas and achieve their set goals. Focusing on the African Union (AU), this article examines the salience of soft power in the context of regional organizations. It seeks to determine if AU values such as human rights, democracy, and good governance, as well as its conflict resolution programs, appeal to member states, and the extent to which the organization has projected these values among these states. The discussion thus engages with the soft power impact of African Peer Review Mechanism and the Panel of the Wise to illuminate the AU’s role in promoting human rights and democracy, and conflict resolution, respectively. The conclusion is that, while the AU has significant soft power potential, its apparent incapacity to ensure that member states wholeheartedly subscribe to its values and its inefficiency in reducing conflict on the continent inhibit the optimization of soft power.