I'm not going to start a discussion about liberal versus conservative propaganda, that's best left for another discussion entirely.
The abdication of soft power though is extremely short-sighted and so on par with the Trump Administration.
As an example of soft power, consider any number of Third World countries that have issues with feeding their population. This leads to instability and easy influence by outside powers. That influences usually used to enrich the elite at the top. The ones at the top see the instability and realize that their political lives as well as actual lives may be shortened by that issue, and so do their best to enrich themselves as quickly as possible.
By using the soft power tactic of providing food for the masses basic foodstuffs, an outsider would provide stability to that country and reduce the possibility of the elite being bought up by another country. In addition, the people in the countryside see food being brought in that has a particular logo or other emblem indicative of the provider. They and their children grow up knowing that their health and future were due to this provider. They thus become somewhat more friendly to that provider.
Ask the Houthis what they think of hard power. Yes, they are being bombarded by high explosives and many are dying. Each time though that a family dies, their extended family says that the one who attacked needs to have revenge visited upon them. It's a never ending cycle.
