In politics, particularly in international politics, soft power is the ability to influence or persuade others through the use of persuasive means, as opposed to the use of force or coercion, which is an aspect of hard power. This process entails the strategic shaping of others' preferences through the use of appealing, non-coercive, and attractive means, using culture, political values, and foreign policies to enact change. In 2012, Joseph Nye of Harvard University explained that with soft power, "the best propaganda is not propaganda", further asserting that during the Information Age, "credibility is the scarcest resource".