I was reminded while reading this post by Duke professor Bruce Jentleson that the neoconservatives in control of U.S. foreign policy, who generally believe that "soft power" is a figment of Joseph Nye's imagination, are doing their best to unilaterally disarm the United States where soft power is concerned. Not permitting Congress to correct the abuse of detainees in American custody is the latest act of soft power disarmament. (Nye himself raised concerns about the decline of American soft power soon after the revelation of the Abu Ghraib photos last year.)