Charm: How Magnetic Personalities Shape Global Politics

The utilizationand weaponizationof charm in contemporary global politics

Politics is a site of performance, and contemporary politicians often perform the role of a regular personperhaps someone we would like to have a beer with. They win elections not because of the elevated rhetorical performances we often associate with charisma (ask not what your country can do for you), but because of something more ordinary and relatable. The everyday magic spell that politicians cast using mass and social media is what sociologist Julia Sonnevend calls charm. In this engaging and enlightening book, Sonnevend explores charm (and the related charm offensive) as a keyword of contemporary global politics. Successful political leaders deploy this form of personal magnetismwhich relies on proximity to political tribes and manifests across a variety of media platformsto appear authentic and accessible in their quest for power.

Sonnevend examines the mediated self-representations of a set of liberal, illiberal, and authoritarian political leaders, past and present: New Zealands Jacinda Ardern, Hungarys Viktor Orban, Irans Mohammad Javad Zarif, North Koreas Kim Jong-un, and Germanys Angela Merkel. She considers how charm (or the lack of it) is wielded as a political tool, and the ways charm is weaponized to shape the international image of a country, potentially influencing decisions about military aid, trade, and even tourism. Sonnevend argues that charm will shape the future of democracy worldwide, as political values will be increasingly embodied by mediated personalities. These figures will rise and fall, often fading into irrelevance; but if we do not understand charms political power, we cannot grasp todays fragile political moment.