According to the “The Soft Power 30” index published on June 14, Russia made it to the 27th place. Jonathan McClory admits that it can be quite surprising. However, he argues that Russia is a diplomatic powerhouse with unique capabilities. Seems Russian soft power has ...
... can also make a major contribution to improving the country’s reputation. In fact, academic institutions are a breeding ground for specialists with wide networks of business ties who know their country well. This is an indispensable element of soft power, which by the way is not the same thing as propaganda. After all, the university culture is based on the principles of rationality, which by definition implies critical thinking. A critical and at the same time unbiased perspective on Russia ...
... constantly rises and does not experience volatility, as they say today.
In other words, would it be true to say that Russia fully uses its potential to spread its foreign policy influence through culture?
In general, I don’t like the expression “soft power.” I’ll tell you why. It’s either force, and then it is not soft. You can’t win love by force. International cultural cooperation is like love, and you cannot force anyone to love you. A Japanese colleague of mine (Director ...
Russian-Armenian relations play a key role in both Armenia's foreign policy and Russia’s regional strategy in the South Caucasus. A Russian military base is located in Armenia, while Russian border guards also ensure the protection of Armenia’s borders with Turkey and Iran. Armenia is a member of the EEU and the CSTO, and is one of the most convenient political partners for Moscow among the post-Soviet countries. Russia is the main investor in Armenia (as of early 2015, Russian investments...
... close to the West and resume construction in the near future of the South Stream, which many experts in Ankara believe has not been cancelled but suspended. In this situation it seems that Moscow cannot make fully effective use of the levers of “soft power” in joint Turkish–Russian projects. The construction of the nuclear power station in Mersin could be seen as a clear example of this. Moreover, it is impossible to say with any certainty that there is even a positive perception ...
On June 19, 2015, the Ukrainian Institute for Strategic Studies hosted presentation of collected works "
The Different Faces of Soft Power: The Baltic States and Eastern Neighborhood between Russia and the EU
" issued by Latvian Institute of International Affairs.
The publication offers a series of German, Latvian, Russian and Ukrainian articles on various aspects of the ...
On February 13, 2015 RIAC Program Director Ivan Timofeev made a speech at Uppsala University (Sweden) at the seminar "Russia's Soft Power and Public Diplomacy".
Russian and European experts who participated in the event discussed major global tendencies of public diplomacy development and the Russian expercience in this sphere.
... solutions to problems of migrants’ adaptation and integration (which requires the combined efforts of the government, business, civil society, educational institutions, media and many other institutions).
What changes are needed in the mechanisms of using soft power?
It must be admitted that the crisis has changed for the worse attitudes toward Russia in most countries of the world. One can argue that the current anti-Russian sentiments and stereotypes are neither justified nor stable, but it is difficult ...
... Rector for Academic Affairs of the MISiS National University of Science and Technology, shared with RIAC Program Director Ivan Timofeev and Skoltech Space Center Senior Analyst Yaroslav Menshenin his insights on whether education is an instrument of soft power; if the Bologna system has become naturalized in Russia; how the mega-grants program contributes to the development of science; and whether a “cooling of relations” is affecting the development of international cooperation in the ...
On September 10, 2014, Russian International Affairs Council held roundtable "Russia's Image in Asia-Pacific: Assessment and Improvement" with participation of Russian orientalists, soft power specialists, journalists, businessmen and government officials.
The discussion was focused on RIAC's
Working Paper "Proposals for Improvement of Russia's Image in China
" by Larissa Smirnova, RIAC expert and professor at Xiamen ...