Hard times for soft power

[Bloomberg View]( A daily digest of opinions and analysis Trump Erodes the Global Power of American Values The scholar who coined the term "soft power" thinks the U.S. will regain its stature — but not under the current president. [Albert R. Hunt examines]( the future of U.S. foreign policy (and moral authority) in a world that's [increasingly leery]( of American leadership. A North Korea Solution: Take Kim Out of the Loop What if talks could bring peace to the Korean peninsula — but North Korea weren't involved? [Toby Harshaw speaks]( with ["Democracy and Deterrence"]( author Philip Bobbitt about an unconventional U.S.-China deal that could potentially end the threat. Cryptocurrency Markets Aren't All The Same Investors have whipped up clouds of froth, but the rise of cryptocurrencies isn't just mindless speculation. As [Leonid Bershidsky explains](, different flavors of digital money reflect emerging bets on promising real-world applications. Don't Let the Trolls Get You Down Tired of the bad actors on Twitter? Learn how to manage your feed and use it your advantage. [Barry Ritholtz]( (follower count: 117,000) shares his tips and tricks for social-media mastery. Ritholtz's Reads - It's the (democracy-poisoning) golden age of free speech ([Wired]() - Future U.S. equity returns: A best-case upper limit ([Philosophical Economics]() - Of money and morals: Moneylending has been taboo for most of human history. So how did usury stop being a sin and become respectable finance? ([Aeon]() (Read Barry Ritholtz's full daily news roundup [here](.) Bloomberg L.P. ● 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Web]( ● [Facebook]( ● [Twitter]( [Feedback]( ● [Unsubscribe](