Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
4,959
result(s) for
"soft power"
Sort by:
Islam and statecraft : religious soft power in the Arab Gulf states
\"Here, Jon Hoffman analyzes the differing ways in which political considerations impact how religion is marshaled as a tool of foreign policy in the Middle East. Instead of religion influencing political outcomes, this analysis examines how politics influences religious outcomes. This book develops a comprehensive analytical framework for the notion of \"religious soft power\" capable of incorporating power-based, identity-based, and ideational variables to examine how states couple religion with their broader foreign policy conduct\"-- Provided by publisher.
BOOK
China's soft power (non) expansion in the MENA region
This article examines China's soft power strategy in the MENA region, which I argue are qualitatively unsubstantial, quantitatively limited, and inherently selective. As part of its broader aspirations to become a/the leading global power, China seeks to enhance its soft power. However, its efforts in this domain across the region primarily focus on lightweight educational collaborations rather than comprehensive and deep knowledge integration that reflects its global ambition. In this context, the prefix 'non' in the title signifies the gap between China's aspiration for global cultural outreach and the reality of its slow-moving initiatives, which often fall short of achieving the depth and scope expected of a truly transformative soft power strategy. Using Joseph Nye's conceptualization of soft power as a benchmark, the research highlights the establishment of Confucius Institutes, cultural agreements, and university collaborations to examine China's soft power strategy that basically prioritizes partnerships with specific countries, such as Israel and Egypt, based on economic and technological considerations. Within this examination of the scope and depth of China's soft power endeavors, the article critically explores whether China's selective approach-choosing specific 'cultural partners'-represents an inherent limitation or a pragmatic strategy for navigating the region.
Journal Article
The United Arab Emirates’ Religious Soft Power through Ulema and Organizations
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) proposes “peaceful” religious discourse by supporting religious scholars such as Hamza Yusuf and Abdallah bin Bayyah and institutions such as the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies and the Emirates Fatwa Council. The UAE has attempted to present itself as promoting a moderate form of Islam to counter political Islam. This study is based on data from religious verdicts (fatwās), speeches, and conference records of these scholars and institutions. The main point of the research is to show to what extent providing additional support to recently established religious institutions and emerging scholars is used as soft power to promote the UAE’s version of Islam and present the UAE as a moderate and tolerant country. Applying critical discourse analysis, the study aims to uncover the existing connection between emerging religiopolitical discourse and UAE-based legal verdicts of scholars (ulamā) and the organizations that they initiated. This study further argues that “moderate Islam” and “tolerance”, used as religious soft power, are other tools that the UAE has applied in line with expectations for influence and power-seeking based on small state theory.
Journal Article
Soft Power and Struggles for Leadership: The United States, Russia and China
This article argues that struggles for global leadership and soft power are at the center of gaining consent of the ruled. The United States once led the world in leadership. It is now facing serious challenges because of its own doing. The Iraq War (2003) was a disaster, not just for American power projection, but for its global standing. The political soft power vacuum was an opportunity for great powers. The rise of China and the resurgence of Russia opened new fronts in their quest for global leadership. Without followers, one cannot be a leader. This makes the battle for weak states part of the international system.
Journal Article
Soft power of higher education: the perceptions of Russia as an educational destination by students at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences
The purpose of the article was to explore how Russia is perceived as an educational destination among students enrolled at programmes of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Master of Arts (M.A.) at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (Kleve, Germany) during the summer semester 2022. The research was conceived as a reflective study based on the case-oriented research design and with a single case examined. To address the research question, a mixed method was selected with Web-Internet and document-based research which was paired with a survey as a data collection technique and a content analysis as a strategy for data analysis. As a result, the survey showed that 79% of respondents would like to visit Russia when the current political situation stabilizes (results are drawn from 33 responses from a total of 7390 students—the rationale for the small sample is provided in the methodological part). However, only 18% of them may consider Russia as an educational destination. The predominant reasons for that are: (i) interests in other places; (ii) language barrier; (iii) lack of information on Russian study programs available in English and (iv) insufficient financial support for studying in Russia. In addition, the author provides policy recommendations for the development of the soft power of Russian higher education and speculates on the reasons for its unpopularity among the students at the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
Journal Article
Differentiated visibilities
This article focuses on the social media content of RT Arabic – formerly Russia Today – the Russian state-funded international news media organization. It presents results of a qualitative analysis of social media posts in order to assess whether and how RT Arabic constructs a strategic narrative of its involvement in the war in Syria. It also contributes to conceptualizations of how state-sponsored strategic narratives operate in practice and can be mobilized as a soft power resource. Our key finding is that, while Russia's military presence is rendered almost invisible on RT Arabic, its role as a political and diplomatic actor is highly visible. Although Syrian civilians feature as the most prominent actors, they do so mostly as helpless victims and passive witnesses. Syria is represented as a non-sovereign, dysfunctional state, vulnerable to incursion by foreign forces that are vying for power and control in the region. In RT's representation of the conflict, Russia is portrayed as coming to the aid of Syrians and Syria, as a benign presence promoting the establishment of good governance and skilfully managing the complex diplomatic relations surrounding the conflict. Rather than using straightforward propagandistic or hard-line ideological narratives, RT Arabic creates its own style of persuasive soft power on social media. This style is characterized by the differentiated visibilities afforded to Russia's military, diplomatic and political roles. Deftly balancing exposure and concealment, RT Arabic performs a legitimating function – rendering Russia's presence and power in a positive light.
Journal Article
China as a “Green Soft Power” and the Belt and Road Initiative: Evidence From Pakistan
By taking a proactive role in international negotiations on climate change and extending the ecological dimension of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has been strengthening its position as a leader in global environmental governance. This article examines the effects of China’s efforts regarding its soft power. Specifically, it argues that prioritising environmental protection in foreign policies can enhance a state’s status as a “green soft power.” To test this argument, this article examines the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key component of the BRI and a multibillion-dollar, 3,000-km energy, road and railway infrastructure network, accompanied by geostrategic, diplomatic, and economic initiatives promoted as a “game-changer” and a “win-win” situation. More specifically, the article aims to assess this project’s influence on China’s green soft power “reserves,” and it sheds light on the role of the bilateral relationship in shaping China’s international status. This article asks the following: What is the impact of the CPEC on China’s green soft power vis-à-vis Pakistan and globally, especially given that it encompasses numerous coal-based energy projects? To address this question, it draws on selected academic literature, triangulated with primary sources such as policy documents and semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders in Pakistan.
Journal Article
An analysis of cultural dissemination and national image construction in Chinese influencer Li Ziqi’s vlogs and its impact on international viewer perceptions on YouTube
International social exchanges have always been important to China’s cultural soft power and image construction overseas. This study focuses on an internationally renowned mega influencer Li Ziqi and her vlogs on YouTube. These orchestrated vlogs tell stories of rural Chinese life and construct a desirable traditional Chinese rural culture for netizens at home and abroad. Informed by framing and cultivation theory, this study examines how user-generated content on national images can affect social media users’ perceptions of reality. Content analysis is used to analyze the visual portrayals of Chinese rural culture, including its customs and values, aesthetics, and cultural and scenic places in Li’s vlogs. Discourse analysis is further used to examine user comments and demonstrate her vlog content’s impact on user perceptions of Chinese rural culture. This study sheds light on how a complex and hybrid national image with ‘Chineseness,’ and a personal image with self-Orientalized and performed ‘soft but independent’ Chinese rural female image, is constructed by a social media influencer Li Ziqi with affective associations. At a conceptual and practical level, the findings of this study contribute to the ongoing scholarly discussions on how China engages with the globalized world through cultural diplomacy from the bottom-up, while existing research primarily takes a top-down approach.
Journal Article
China’s Foreign Policy and its Choice for Cultural Soft Power: The Tools
Chinese soft power can be assessed in many aspects because there are several tools in which soft power can manifest. This article seeks to assess the efficiency of China’s soft power using four tools from the perspective of public diplomacy. The analysis helps us to better understand the efficiency of foreign public communication tools. The paper is mainly qualitative research from collected secondary materials, following Mark Leonard’s (2002) concept of three dimensions of public diplomacy. The tools considered are: the Confucius institute (cultural institutes); Belt and Road initiative summit 2017 (international events); China central television/CCTV (media); International Students (financial aid for researchers and students). The analysis uses the three dimensions of public diplomacy: daily communication, strategic communication, and long-term communication. There is no indication that any of the selected four tools resonates with any of the three dimensions of public diplomacy. Some tools resonate more than others with a particular dimension of public diplomacy, but nothing is set in place. The media use daily communication quite effectively. International events are more so in strategic communication. Both international students and the cultural institute have an advanced role in long-term communication. However, the three dimensions are important to asses expected outcomes in foreign relations. A single tool could not effectively serve all concerns for getting support within the international community. The limitations of a tool can curb its appeal for a particular dimension, while advantages of the same tool spring in another.
Journal Article
Thinking Hard About Soft Power: A Review and Critique of the Literature on China and Soft Power
This article critically reviews the literature on China and soft power. Among other themes, it tackles the conceptualization and operationalization of soft power, measurement of the effectiveness of Chinese soft power, and the analysis of variables that intervene between China's soft-power tools, realized images, and policy influence results.
Journal Article