Qatar rises in ‘soft power’ ranking after hosting World Cup – 03/02/2023 – Sports

Less than three months after the end of the World Cup, Qatar is beginning to reap the first impressions of its ambitious global expansion project in search of a strategic position in the geopolitics of the Gulf.

Hosting the biggest football tournament on the planet in 2022 helped the Middle Eastern nation improve its international perception, present for the first time in the group of the 25 nations with the greatest global influence, according to the 2023 edition of the Soft Power Index, released this Thursday- fair (2) in London.

“Organizing a major sporting event can really put a national brand on the map. With improvements recorded across three key performance indicators —familiarity, reputation and influence—, Qatar enters the top 25 for the first time, placing 24th in the ranking. of the index”, cites the document.

Brand Finance’s report is based on responses from more than 110,000 interviews with a specialized audience, made up of governments, civil society organizations, diplomats, the business community and the general public, in around 100 countries.

All responded to questions on 11 indicators, including countries’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also considered were the familiarity of the global community with the nation, the degrees of influence and reputation, in addition to performance in soft power pillars: business and commerce, governance, international relations, culture and heritage, media and communication, education and science, people and values ​​and a sustainable future.

The term “soft power” was coined by the American political scientist Joseph Nye in the 1980s. He claims that exercising it depends on the expansion of political and cultural values ​​from one country to others. The index released on Thursday, therefore, describes a country’s ability to exert influence over others.

According to the Brand Finance report, despite the critical coverage that Qatar received during the World Cup for its history of disrespect for human rights and the suppression of civil rights, especially for women and the LGBTQIA+ community, the country has improved its image in the indicators that address these issues. .

The report points out that, despite the complaints, the global perception of how the country “respects the law and rights” rose 11 levels and the index of “tolerance and inclusion” grew 12, results that are part of the metric that made the nation appear among the 25 most influential in the world for the first time.

“Qatar showcased its key soft power assets to a global audience of fans in stadiums and in front of TV screens, improving perceptions mainly on culture and heritage attributes,” quotes another excerpt from the document.

Other Gulf nations also rose positions in the global ranking of soft power, in a movement that is explained by the growing relevance of countries in the region in the scenario of global energy crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Saudi Arabia, for example, was included for the first time among the 20 most influential nations, with the 19th place on the list, led by the United States.

Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukrainian territory also impacted the eastern European country’s general index. Russia’s reputation ranking in the study, one of the leading indicators of soft power, dropped from 23rd to 105th, resulting in a score drop of -1.3 points, causing the nation to drop from the top 10 overall in the ranking, ranking 13th.

Against the Russians, Ukraine saw all its indicators rise and appears in the 37th position of the ranking compared to the 51st place it occupied in the list in 2022.

The study mentions, for example, that the popularity of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his ministers, causes the nation to rise 36 positions in the indicator of “internationally admired leaders”.

Brazil loses strength in soft power

According to the study released this Thursday (2), Brazil fell from 28th to 31st in the global ranking of soft power due, above all, to the management of the Covid-19 pandemic and the environmental policy of former President Jair Bolsonaro. (PL), in addition to the troubled political environment that marked the electoral period in 2022.

The report says that Brazil’s “volatile political environment” has gained worldwide coverage and has affected its soft power position. The country scores below the global average in the governance pillar, in which it dropped 28 positions, now ranking 86th globally, indices that affected its position in the overall ranking.

Brazilians, however, have remained the world’s “leaders in sports” and more “fun” than any other nation globally.