Its right there in pics. you refused to believe in it thats why keep repeating the same question. It is mere presence in a event that is soft power.
In November 2009, then leader of Libya, a great and generous Arab nationalist known for his
and
, the late and legendary
, many of which were reportedly models.
Not only did Colonel Gaddafi, may he rest in peace, attempt to inspire these tender and lovely souls with his brilliant oratory talents, but he also gifted each and every one of them a copy of the Holy Quran:
Unfortunately, as you are probably already well aware of, this speech before an Italian audience did not preserve Muammar when insidious rebels aided by foreign mercenaries and backed by NATO — including the country which had hosted him less than two years earlier — elected to violently pursue regime change in Libya in 2011.
Would you consider this interaction between Colonel Gaddafi and such an attractive Italian audience a visible manifestation of Libyan and/or Arabic soft power?
While I
appreciate the efforts you've undertaken to help us better grasp Arabic soft power, I'm concerned that we may have rather different definitions of what is and isn't soft power. So some
clarity would be appreciated!
In all seriousness, what is
blatantly visible to you in terms of soft power may
not be
particularly visible to those of us who are unfamiliar with your definition of soft power, never mind Arabic soft power.
From where I stand, there's nothing particularly special about a ministerial level official from a G20 country drawing a crowd at an overseas event. That's normal for a VVIP, so long as they come from a reasonably developed and/or sizable country with something to offer.
one way of measuring Arabic Soft Power is Airline Industry. this one sided route access to larger countries.
Soft power exports generally incorporate or represent something
cultural or otherwise
intangible that its consumers wish to absorb, imitate and/or otherwise embrace.
While you're correct to highlight the rapid growth that certain GCC airlines have achieved, I'm not sure if that's an especially compelling example of soft power, so much as an illustration of massive amounts of CAPEX conscripted from sovereign coffers into buying/leasing airliners, constructing airports, and paying off foreign aviation officials to commence business on favorable terms.
While money definitely contributes to soft power, it's hard to rate Arabic soft power (unless you consider religion to be a manifestation of soft power) to be particularly strong or salient, if at all impressive in relative terms given the per capita incomes of GCC member states.
see earlier example of Airline Industry. and it is not just Airlines but the knowledge gained from it that is used effectively. When Arabs arrived in Yekaterinburg Russian were counting the flights.
The amount of engagement on display here does
not scream soft power whatsoever:
Al Jazeera dont have soft power.
Your rejection of Al Jazeera as a manifestation of soft power is a take that most
or otherwise credentialed
, both
and
would
with.
However, your position
may not necessarily be unreasonable if your definition of soft power dramatically diverges from what is generally accepted.
You seem to be sincerely focused on soft power, whatever that might mean to you, so I do
hope you elaborate!
even Emaritis have gained much greater success in Africa, India and many other places. Iran second largest trade partner is UAE.
That's fair and accurate.
A lot of countries, especially in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the former USSR are very impressed by the rapid and significant economic achievements of the UAE: just look at the skyline of Abu Dhabi, never mind Dubai.
However, how does that relate to or impact Russia? Just how much influence does the UAE have on the Russian government in general, and Russian foreign and security policy in particular?
The Emiratis and Russians have obviously cooperated to advance common interests in places like Libya, but for a number of years, they supported opposing sides in Syria. There's a degree of alignment, but far from total.
More broadly speaking, the Emiratis appear to be more interested in doing business with everyone, including parties that are at odds like Russia and the US, rather than staying committed to any single great power.
Qatar success is in place like Turkey but its more negative than positive.
I take it you're Saudi or deeply tied to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?
why do you think some thing as complex as Arabic soft power should be understandable by masses?
Soft power is inherently
persuasive. It doesn't necessarily need to be understood with depth or nuance. However, soft power exports do need to engage its consumers with something
compelling and as such easily, if not almost universally
recognizable, even if it isn't something particularly tangible or easily describable. (Sorry, but the Golden Age of Islam is
too obscure to be recognizable at a mainstream level, at least outside of the Muslim world. So not particularly useful for soft power messaging.)
To put it crudely: national soft power communicates something appealing, desirable or otherwise positive about a nation state. Messaging is
central to soft power!
Esoteric or poorly understood messaging doesn't usually work well for manifesting soft power, unless you're
perhaps intentionally looking to sell mystique, if not magic or fiction like the Dalai Lama, Rasputin or Lafayette Ron Hubbard. However even then, the ambiguities and deceptions employed are usually carefully calibrated to maximize efficacy.
Person like Putin fully understand it (but consider the resources and time to make him understand) and i dont even need to write on many things.
Does China or does the GCC possess more soft power in Russia in general and over Putin in particular?
The blonde hair comment was just observation when certain events when Arabs are present for indepth discussion than the people on Russia side are majority blonde hair. i dont mean it literally but more figurately.
Growing isolation from the West since 2014 has certainly made Russia more appreciative of, if not dependent on its relatively resilient economic relationships with certain Gulf countries, in particular the UAE, but that alone is not a particularly strong measure of Arabic soft power so much as Arabic economic relevance in the face of Russian desperation.
US has almost double its hydrocarbon production in past decade. did the Soft Power become double?
Neither the American economy, nor America's global image is particularly, if at all dependent on its domestic oil and gas industry, unlike most, if not all of the GCC.
Exports like these are more
relevant to American soft power:
What analogous or dissimilar exports contribute to Arabic soft power in Russia in particular, and across the globe in general?
