The UAE Cultural Diplomacy: West, East and Russia

The relevance of addressing the cultural diplomacy of the United Arab Emirates (the UAE, Emirates) is determined by the fact that nowadays the UAE is one of the world’s leading powers in the sphere of implementing soft power policies. Over a short period of time the UAE has emerged as a cultural hub of both region and world. The purpose of this study is to examine the regional directions of cultural diplomacy of the UAE through the prism of interpreting the very concepts of culture and cultural diplomacy. To achieve this, the study addressed the following tasks: first, to analyze how cultural diplomacy is conceptualized in the UAE; second, to consider the steps taken by the UAE in the sphere of cultural diplomacy in Western countries; third, to analyze the measures taken by the leadership of this Arab country to strengthen humanitarian ties with the countries of the East; fourth, to study the actions of the Emirates in the sphere of establishing cultural interaction with Russia. Taking into account the fact that this topic is poorly studied and the phenomenon of cultural diplomacy of the UAE is dynamically developing, the research materials vary in nature and include an extensive source base, ranging from memoirs of state leaders who laid the foundations for the conceptual vision of modern cultural diplomacy of this country, as well as strategies, in addition to legal documents and media materials. The research methodology included both  conceptual and comparative analysis methods (comparison of the methods of cultural influence of the UAE on societies in different countries), case studies (specific examples of the implementation of the soft power policies) and content analysis of materials. As a result of the study, the hypothesis that the UAE diversifies its cultural diplomacy on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation, specifically in the economic sphere was substantiated. The study concludes that 1) conceptualization of cultural diplomacy in the UAE barely distinguishes between cultural diplomacy, public diplomacy, soft power and humanitarian cooperation, and the terms are widely used interchangeably with a stress on their positive impact in building partner relations; 2) culture is also poorly differentiated and comprises a vast pool of practices from sports and tourism to educational exchange programs and festivals; 3) the UAE is strengthening its image on the world stage by adapting its cultural diplomacy in different countries and regions depending on the mentality and its perception by the society of these countries, which allows achieving efficiency in the implementation of this course; 4) the UAE  is actively developing its relations with Russia, yet their future remains to be seen.

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