American influence and institutions are being challenged by China, Russia and Iran, according to the author of a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army.

“There is an ongoing competition of American influence on the global stage,” Sgt. Maj. Jorge Rivera writes. “China’s soft-power strategies are increasingly impacting American credibility and influence; Iran’s increasing sway in Latin America is shaping societal perspectives; and the threats posed by Russia’s cyber and information activities influence perspectives on American credibility.” 

In “Competition Against American Influence: China, Iran and Russia,” Rivera, an instructor at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, a contributing editor for NCO Journal and an adjunct instructor in homeland security at Mary Baldwin University, contends that U.S. adversaries are using soft power to undermine the global order.

Rivera uses constructivist theory to explain these competitors’ behavior, which says that shared perceptions that states hold about the world and the potential consequences they might face if other states view them negatively “constrain states’ actions and keep them within the bounds of acceptable conduct.”

China goes beyond military and industrial capability and uses cultural centers and other propaganda tools to advance its objectives.

Under the guise of teaching American students about Chinese language and culture, the centers portray China positively, avoid discussions of human rights abuses, “present Taiwan and Tibet as undisputed territories of China” and “develop a generation of American students with selective knowledge of a major country,” Rivera writes.

Along with information operations, Iran uses transnational crime in Latin America, specifically in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, to support Iran and its proxies.

“Iran … exerts substantial pressure on the fragile institutions of the Latin American region,” Rivera writes. “This pressure contributes to political instability and drives many political leaders to seek resources and support from various sources, including those considered adversaries by the United States.”

Russia is “orchestrating cyber technology, disseminating disinformation, waging psychological warfare and maintaining plausible deniability” through its combined approach, Rivera writes.

“These capabilities are not only focused in Eastern Europe; in fact, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence states that Russia is ‘particularly focused on improving its ability to target critical infrastructure ... in the United States as well as in allied and partner countries," Rivera writes.

Adversaries will continue to wield soft power to compete against the U.S., Rivera writes.

“In recent decades, we have seen the rise of adversarial influence as a replacement for the American status quo,” he writes. “Viewing the efforts of these three adversaries collectively highlights what the effects of traditional American influence have been in the past—and how adversaries are now using the same soft-power strategies to compete against that American influence, seeking to provide alternatives on the world stage.”

Read the paper here.