ICP Ambassador Talks: H.E. Nicholas Bowler, the British Ambassador to the KR
September 26, 2025
On September 25, the AUCA Makerspace hosted another session of the ICP Ambassador Talks series, featuring H.E. Nicholas Bowler, the British Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic.
Ambassador Bowler delivered an engaging lecture on the concept of soft power and its continuing importance in international relations. He contrasted it with “hard power,” which relies on military and economic force, and explained how soft power based on attraction, credibility, culture, and shared values helps nations build trust, partnerships, and influence.
Through vivid stories, including examples from Kyrgyzstan, the Ambassador illustrated how soft power operates in practice:
- How a rugby coach’s visit to Bishkek fostered human connections that eventually led to a trade deal.
- How informal spaces like the British Prime Minister’s country residence, Chequers, create trust and set the stage for diplomacy.
- How cultural initiatives, from student exchanges to music festivals, demonstrate a country’s values more powerfully than words alone.
He concluded that in the modern world, influence comes not only from hard power but from the combination of hard and soft power—what scholars call smart power. He also reminded students that they themselves are ambassadors of soft power whenever they engage internationally.
After the lecture, AUCA students and guests raised a wide range of questions, touching on issues of justice, public protests in the UK, investment and cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, cultural exchanges, and whether soft power remains meaningful in today’s world of conflicts and crises.
In closing, Saniia Toktogazieva, Dean of Academic Planning and Strategic Partnerships at AUCA, expressed gratitude to the Ambassador. She noted that many of the questions raised could themselves form the basis of separate, in-depth discussions given their complexity and importance. On behalf of AUCA, she presented Ambassador Bowler with university merchandise.
