No cultural, intellectual, or artistic project can express a national identity except by adhering to its roots, and by the smooth flow of its branches, twigs, and fruits in all spaces. Perhaps the term soft power will become present in the second decade of the third millennium, due to the inability of hard power to usurp identities and change cultures, let alone erase them. There are models and indicators that show the progress of our soft power in the Arab world, albeit cautiously, but it needs material and legislative components to strengthen its presence, prove its parity, boldly cross the borders of others, and raise the efficiency of elites to perform their role. Some misuse this power due to their limited capabilities, lack of awareness, or prejudice. This review examines some aspects of soft power in the Arab world, through the perspectives of several intellectuals who have observed the advantages and challenges facing this rapidly developing, albeit cautious, force. Poet Hashem Al-Jahdali observes that the term "soft power" is one of the most ambiguous and unclear terms. While relatively recent, it emerged to fill a void in political discourse, which often relies on coercive means, particularly weapons and money. He explains that since the term's inception, the world has been in dire need of it, perhaps even practicing it without the technical connotations it later acquired.

Al-Jahdali argued that soft power is represented in the spiritual, historical, cultural, artistic, intellectual, aesthetic, sports, tourism, media, and food culture of any country, and it tries to impose it on others without violence.

He stressed that UNESCO is working to be the center of the circle to document this heritage, while international politics is its broad field, in light of the multiplicity of circles of polarization, as if there is a battle against prevailing values ​​and the lack of values, which necessitates that every country fortify itself against the other who wants to completely obliterate its heritage without any justification.

He added: In a confused world like this, culture and national identity must regain their role by creating a balance between the past, present, and future. The media bears the responsibility of spreading them, without limiting the bet to the past only, and without building a bridge between the past and the future so that we do not live in the atmosphere of (a series about Bedouin life) nothing more and nothing less.

Writer Lotfi Naaman affirmed that soft power has had a significant presence and role in the Arab world since early times, and continues to do so, despite appearances to some. He pointed out that since Arab countries ventured into various fields of this power, they have successfully activated its influential tools: arts, culture, thought, and a sophisticated press and media that keeps pace with the spirit of the age. He noted that the continued pioneering experience of Egypt in the arts, Lebanon and Morocco in culture and thought, and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states in media, among others, are clear evidence of this. He explained that each country has the capacity to employ and innovate in the tools of this soft power, even though its strength is a distinctive characteristic of each individual nation.

He considered social media to be the most prominent manifestation of the new soft power weapon, through which its principles can be disseminated. He expressed concern that the unchecked use of social media could lead to the emergence of those incapable of employing this power, and the rise of those who lack understanding, thus diminishing the positive impact of soft power and its targeted, informed messages, due to the negative influence of ignorance and the pretense of knowledge.

Novelist Ali al-Muqri considered soft power a fluid concept dependent on political and cultural backgrounds, and its application varies according to general social conditions. While it was practiced differently during the Cold War, or what is known as the conflict between capitalist and socialist states, than it is today, the nature and objectives of this power have evolved.

Al-Muqri noted that some Arab countries have begun to focus on establishing an infrastructure that qualifies them for an advanced position in this field, given that countries like Egypt and Lebanon were at the forefront in possessing this power in the past, and the political activity of local and Arab forces was accompanied by broad cultural activity at all levels, such as the spread of songs, cinema, books, literature and arts in general, in addition to open social life and press and personal freedoms.

He believes that at the moment, there seems to be a renaissance in these fields in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, but this renaissance lacks some necessary foundations or a clear methodology in how to practice it and legislation that promotes it. He pointed out that one of the Arab countries tried to activate the field of book publishing through translation, but it entrusted the task to its cultural attaché in one of the Arab countries, which reduced the chance of success of this goal, since no one reads books that are published with official labels and in a style that does not take into account the arts of publishing.

He added: Some Arab countries previously used London and Paris as platforms for disseminating their media propaganda. Some succeeded in this, while others failed, and their impact remained limited, as these efforts did not contribute to spreading any particular idea widely due to the absence of open social structures that support such attempts. He pointed out that any propaganda effort, especially in the cultural sphere, cannot achieve the desired success without integration with other aspects—political, social, and economic. With the decline of these aspects in Egypt, Lebanon, and also Kuwait, the soft power that was a prominent feature of these countries has also declined. Al-Muqri suggested that the main reason for this decline is the absence of major development projects.

Al-Rumaihi: The Kingdom enhances its soft power with a knowledge society

Professor of Political Sociology, Dr. Muhammad Al-Rumaihi, explained that since academic Joseph Nye coined his concept of “soft power” in his book “Committed to Leading in 1990,” and returned to it repeatedly and extensively in his second book “Soft Power: The Means to Success in Foreign Policy” (2004), the concept of “soft power” is something American academics proudly refer to, boasting of that great and influential power (cinema, music, books, modern technology, the system of government, the independent judiciary, and even jeans), which they see as the tools that demolished the Berlin Wall before the real tools and bulldozers began to demolish it! The concept has also been widely used in international literature.

Al-Rumaihi emphasized that the concept of “soft power” is present in political literature around the world and in diplomatic conferences, and it means “the power that a society possesses in order to convince others, not only of the correctness of its path, but also of the necessity for others to voluntarily follow its example”; that is, to subdue others without the need for what is known as “hard power.”.

He pointed out that the Gulf states possess numerous sources of soft power today, whether administrative, developmental, or cultural, and each country has, so to speak, a surplus of soft power. The Gulf states share some of these sources of soft power, while others differ. There is a clearly defined developmental model stretching from Dubai to Riyadh, from Manama to Muscat, and from Doha to Kuwait, albeit to varying degrees. This model has witnessed remarkable progress in planning and construction, with wide roads, towering buildings, and rapid transportation systems that rival, and perhaps even surpass, those found in the capitals and cities of developed countries. This developmental model is a positive indicator of soft power, particularly its free-market economic model, modern education, and advanced technological management that prioritizes efficiency and speed.

In recent years, the Kingdom has become an attractive venue for conferences and meetings at a high level of representation, as well as a hub for global investment. The knowledge society has recorded steady growth, given that the Kingdom is the largest country in terms of area and population in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and is witnessing the activation of the 2030 development vision conceived and adopted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which includes a huge development revolution in all fields, whether in infrastructure or in soft power in its various forms.

He pointed out that about a year ago, the Kingdom sent (a young man and a young woman) into space, and the world was amazed by that scene. Its students also won 22 awards in international scientific competitions with the participation of 80 countries, and their share was abundant and exceeded that obtained by major countries with long-established scientific traditions, such as Britain, for the pre-university stage. These are examples of a number of projects, whether material or moral, that can be observed in the development of the modern Kingdom. Global public opinion (and even Arab opinion) has shifted from criticizing what is happening in the Kingdom (and most of the criticism was political and had purposes) to almost continuous praise for the development process that is taking the country to compete with major countries, which has provided the Kingdom with a remarkable soft power.

He attributed this success to the presence of a leadership with a clear vision, who knew where they wanted to take society, a leadership that was both scientific and courageous, and also to the presence of a large number of highly educated people who were the product of modern scientific institutions, which came to produce cinema and series, to publish books, and to make outstanding progress in the use of technology to provide services to the citizen, and became a model for others.

All of the above, along with the foreign policies adopted by the Kingdom in recent years, which are building bridges between East and West, near and far, can comfortably be described as the Kingdom’s “soft power”.