soft power

Since the Justice and Development Party came to power, a new cornerstone in Turkish foreign policy has been gradually implemented largely influenced by the thoughts of Ahmet Davutoğlu. Davutoğlu, in his book "Strategic Depth," believes that Turkiye, considers itself an inseparable part of the South Caucasus region historically, culturally, and geographically. Samuel Huntington also points out that Turkiye after the Ottoman Empire, turned away from Mecca and turned westward; however, it did not hear a call from the West and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, one way to ensure its survival was to look to the East (Central Asia and the Caucasus). Accordingly, the South Caucasus, especially Republic of Azerbaijan, received special attention from Turkiye after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The principle of cooperation and expansion of influence in the South Caucasus countries has been the basis of Turkiye's policy towards the the South Caucasus crises, which is pursued both regionally and trans-regionally. In its extraterritorial focus, Turkiye cooperated with the West, especially NATO and the United States. At the regional level, Ankara prioritized its policy in the Caucasus by establishing extensive cooperation with Baku. The concept of power has historically been synonymous with military capacity. However, after World War II, the economy also became important; therefore, power was considered as a component of both military and economic capacity. However, after the Cold War, another aspect of power emerged, introduced by Joseph Nye. This type of power, which does not involve coercive methods, is called soft power. After going through a challenging path of criticism and justification, the concept of soft power, has established its place in the international academic space and has now become one of the main concepts in international relations. Since the rise of the Justice and Development Party, Turkiye has paid more attention to soft power, influenced by the vision of Ahmet Davutoğlu's perspective, with the aim of expanding its sphere of influence. This study first explains Joseph Nye's soft power theory and secondly, it shed lights on the historical relations between Turkiye and Azerbaijan Republic, as well as the role of soft power in strengthening their relations. Research question: What role has soft power played in the development and deepening of the strategic alliance between Turkiye and Azerbaijan?Research hypothesis: Soft power has played a driving and facilitating role in the strategic alliance between Turkiye and Azerbaijan Republic. In this research, the historical-analytical 'process tracing method' was used." This method allows for the investigation of causal mechanisms and changes and allows for the evaluation of the sequence of events and the relationships between variables over time. This method allows for the examination of causal mechanisms and changes, enabling the assessment of the sequence of events and the relationships between variables over time. This method allows for the examination of causal mechanisms and changes, enabling the assessment of the sequence of events and the relationships between variables over time. In this regard, this research describes the strategic alliance between Turkiye and Azerbaijan as a historical process rather than a situation. This means that the process of forming a coalition has a starting point and has reached its peak during a historical journey. By using this method, the authors aim to explain the role of soft power in the development of this alliance. The failure of Turkiye's plans to join the European Union has made the idea of Pan-Turkism and the formation of a "great empire" increasingly more attractive to Ankara than ever before. Alongside the neo-Ottoman idea, which focuses on the Arab countries of the Mediterranean and the Balkans, the unity of all Turkic peoples based on ethnic and linguistic ties, from the Bosporus Strait to China, is also on Turkiye's agenda. The ideas of Pan-Turkism are increasingly becoming a reality in many areas. The concept of unity and a common destiny of Turkic peoples is taking shape more than ever before. Turkiye, relying on its ethnic identity and Turkish element, sought to establish complete solidarity with Azerbaijan. Therefore, the slogan "One Nation - Two States" was the driving force behind Turkish-Azerbaijani relations during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The Shushi statement clearly states the overall policy of coordination in military, political, and foreign policy spheres. In fact, this document proves that Turkiye has gained complete influence in Azerbaijan. In previous contracts, there was no mention of the Turkic world; however, this statement clearly indicates the coordination of forces between the two countries for the development of the Turkic world. In previous agreements, there was no mention of the Turkic world; however, this statement clearly outlines the coordination of forces between the two countries for the development of the Turkic world.In general, among Turkiye's multiple soft power mechanisms, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency can be mentioned. In general, the multiple mechanisms of Turkiye's soft power include the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, the Public Diplomacy Coordination Organization, the Yunus Emre Foundation, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, the Anadolu Agency, the Organization of Turks Abroad and Related Communities, Turkish Airlines, the International Turkish Culture Organization, the Maarif Foundation, the Turkish Red Crescent, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of Turkiye, the Directorate of Religious Affairs, the Turkish Armed Forces, the Turkic Council, the International Turkic Academy, the Turkish Business Council, the Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Union of Turkish Universities, and so on. Turkiye's goal with such measures is to strengthen cooperation between Turkiye and the Turkic republics in the political, economic, cultural and educational fields. On October 20, 2022, during the meeting of representatives of the Turkic Council member states in Bursa, a decision was made to establish a "Commission for the Creation of a Unified Alphabet" within the structure of the Turkic Council. The goal of this commission is to achieve linguistic unity among Turkic countries and to adopt a common alphabet. The overall result of the research indicates that Turkiye's attractiveness to Azerbaijan has played a significant role in the formation of an alliance between the two countries; the cultural cooperation between the two countries has spilled over into geopolitical and geoeconomic spheres, deepening their alliance, which was manifested in the Shushi Declaration. This statement clearly expresses overall policy coordination in the military, political, and foreign policy spheres and emphasizes the alignment of forces between the two countries for the development of the Turkic world. Thus, the Shushi Dclaration reveals the manifestations of Pan-Turkism in the Turkish Azerbaijani relations.

Nowruz is one of the ancient rituals that is celebrated every year with the beginning of the spring equinox in Iran and the countries affected by the Iranian civilization as well as Turkey. Nowruz is a cultural phenomenon and can be a key element for connecting the countries that organize it. As two neighboring countries, Iran and Turkey have always had social, economic and cultural relationships with each other. One of the most important common cultural elements between Iran and Turkey is the ancient Nowruz. The question of the present article is what are the similarities and differences between Nowruz in the two countries of Iran and Turkey and how is the role of Nowruz in the cultural diplomacy of the two countries evaluated and what are the common cultural lines between Iran and Turkey. It seems that according to the importance of soft power and cultural manifestations, Nowruz can help to deepen cultural relations between Iran and Turkey. The ceremony of welcoming Nowruz, house shaking, Haft Sin table, buying new clothes and seeing and visiting relatives are among the common features of Nowruz between the two countries. From the point of view of differences, Nowruz in different parts of Iran and Turkey has differences regarding how to hold the ceremony and the anthropological differences that have been mentioned. The research method is using library resources and collecting data from articles, books and examining them in a descriptive-analytical way.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the solutions facing Iran's cultural diplomacy with an emphasis on the thought of Imam Khamenei (Madh Zaleh al-Ali). Based on the teachings of Islam, Imam Khamenei assigns a special role and position to cultural elements. One of the basic points in his thought was to pay attention to cultural diplomacy. In the present study, an attempt was made to answer this question, what are the solutions facing Iran's cultural diplomacy by emphasizing the thought of Imam Khamenei? In the hypothesis, it is stated that paying attention to the thought The position of Supreme Leader plays a fundamental role in providing solutions for cultural diplomacy. Researchers investigate this hypothesis using documentary methods and qualitative content analysis. From the categories extracted from the statements of Imam Khamenei, we can mention the use of capacities, initiative, efficiency, reform of structures, coordination of institutions, cohesion, jihadi management, active diplomacy, proportional distribution of power, continuous mobility and active participation in treaties. win. The results of the current research show that among the important and effective principles of cultural diplomacy solutions, we can mention the use of new technologies, avoiding parallel work, management organization and cohesion, development of the soft power of the system and cultural foundation in the countries of the region. .

International governments are competing to advance their national interests and are trying to improve their national power and strength. The concept of power is one of the main and key concepts of international relations and politics. For a long time, in the theories of national power, it was measured through hard power. But the conceptual developments and the increase in the share and role of other indicators and criteria such as cultural and intangible aspects led to the formation of a new look at power with the concept of soft power.After the revolution, Iran tried to show its image in the international as a soft power, among the countries that are placed in Iran's strategic environment are Iraq and Syria. Although with the emergence of terrorist groups, Iran has been forced to take advantage of parts of hard power in these countries, but in general, Iran's approach to relations and influence in these countries is based on a soft approach.Considering that the two countries in question have many differences in various fields, Iran cannot seek to influence and expand its strategic depth in these countries with similar strategies and policies.

In the third millennium, soft power was proposed as an effective tool for expanding global influence, and its application is considered one of the strategic goals of major regional and international powers. The Islamic Republic of Iran has significant soft power elements and resources in Iraq, which it can use to shape and advance its media policy in Iraq. In this regard, the question of this article is how the elements of Iran’s soft power condition the effectiveness of Iran’s media policy in Iraq? The main hypothesis and claim of the present article states that Iran’s soft power in Iraq requires that media policy in Iraq be based on the cultural and social context of Iraq, because the effectiveness of media policy depends on meeting the cultural and social needs of Iraqi society. The method of this research is qualitative explanatory and the research data were collected through documentary study. The findings show that despite the persistence of past geopolitical and strategic differences and the experience of the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq, these conflicts have never led to the formation of traumatic and restrictive narratives in the relations between the two countries. This important point indicates the prominent and distinctive role of Iran's soft power in Iraq. This emphasizes the importance of formulating and implementing cultural and media policies based on the cultural and social requirements of Iraq and clarifies the vital role of soft power in the success and effectiveness of these policies.

Soft power is the ability to create compliance through credibility in domestic and foreign public opinion and to exert indirect influence on other global actors, independent of hard power resources such as military capability, geographical limitations, and economic sanctions. This concept is increasingly gaining attention from international actors and analysts. Presenting a national image and brand is one of the main factors in soft power, which is often a side effect or sometimes a direct result of countries' economic diplomacy. The main question is how the relationship between strengthening the dimensions of economic diplomacy—meaning the mutual benefit between foreign policy and the economy of countries—and improving national image, and consequently enhancing their soft power, exists. Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore and analyze the role of economic diplomacy in improving national image and enhancing soft power, focusing on the case of China. Analyzing China's experience in economic diplomacy through a case study method and descriptive-analytical approach shows that this country is one of the successful examples that, through designing and implementing a dynamic and effective form of trade diversification, direct and joint foreign investments prioritizing developing countries and infrastructure and technology sectors, strengthening tourism, providing developmental aid, managing migration flows, and creating regional and international economic initiatives, has significantly transformed its soft power status while also gaining direct economic and political benefits. This approach and its results from China's experience can be extensively utilized in formulating strategies, policies, and necessary actions for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Martyr Qasem Soleimani was the principal figure of soft power for the Islamic Republic in the region. It appears that examining the statements of the Supreme Leader regarding this distinguished martyr can provide the best guidance for identifying the characteristics of Haj Qasem Soleimani's school. This study seeks to answer the question: What are the soft power characteristics of Martyr Haj Qasem Soleimani's school, with an emphasis on the statements of Imam Khamenei? This developmental-applied research utilized document analysis and qualitative content analysis methods. The aim is to examine the soft power characteristics of Martyr Qasem Soleimani's school, as emphasized by Imam Khamenei.The findings indicate that the soft power characteristics of Martyr Haj Qasem Soleimani's school, as highlighted by Imam Khamenei, include sincerity and devotion, responsibility, combined courage and prudence, allegiance to the leadership, and recognizing and opposing tyranny.

The use of sports and sports diplomacy has been well-documented in the history of global diplomatic practices. In recent years, sports have served as a diplomatic tool, with sports diplomacy regarded as one of the most pivotal methods for fostering soft power. Nations have employed such strategies to mitigate tensions in various social, political, economic, and cultural domains with other actors. Over the past few decades, the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States has faced numerous challenges. The participation of Iran's national teams, particularly the volleyball team, in international events such as the Volleyball World League and the Olympic Games has created opportunities to enhance Iran's standing and even reduce tensions with its long-standing adversary, the United States. This raises the question: how does the soft power of sports diplomacy influence Iran-U.S. relations? This study hypothesizes that the soft power generated by sports diplomacy leads to a relative improvement in cultural and sports relations between Iran and the United States. Employing a descriptive-analytical method, the findings reveal that sports, even amid heightened tensions between the two nations, have maintained minimal levels of interaction and provided a platform for implicit political objectives for both Iran and the United States. While sports diplomacy has the potential to improve Iran-U.S. relations, it faces distinct limitations due to the entrenched mistrust between Washington and Tehran. At critical junctures and with minimal costs, sports have contributed to temporary improvements in Iran-U.S. relations. It is recommended that greater emphasis be placed on hosting major international volleyball events, which can project a different image of the Islamic Republic of Iran by leveraging the soft power of sports. Additionally, targeted investment in sports diplomacy, particularly volleyball, should be pursued to neutralize anti-Iranian propaganda and combat media-driven Iranophobia.

Saudi Arabia, as one of the main countries of Southwest Asia in terms of history,area, population and various influences in various dimensions, has unique potentials in the field of soft power. Hosting of important religious works and places, historical background and pivotal role in the region and the Arab and Islamic world has caused a lot of focus in the field of power. Nevertheless, since the inauguration of Mohammed bin Salman as the crown prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, many transformations have taken place in this field, and various programs and strategies have been implemented in the field of soft power and its dimensions.Based on this, the current research, emphasizing the soft power of Saudi Arabia in the era of bin Salman, seeks to answer this important question, which areas were the most important aspects of the evolution of Saudi Arabia's soft power? In response, this hypothesis has been proposed that during the era of Mohammad bin Salman, Riyadh, in addition to using the existing components and tools, focusing on new areas such as sports, extra-regional foreign tourism, economy and finally playing a new role in foreign policy in different regions. He has taken extensive and rare measures in the field of soft power. The method of this research is descriptive and the method of data collection is library .

China has drawn itself as a new-developed country in the world, and now it is seeking to use this image to strengthen Chinese soft power, especially in developing regions. The China as a new-developed country is well aware of its economic advantage in the world and developing regions. Despite having a great historical and cultural history, this country has placed its software foreign policy on economic power. Beijing's software policy towards developing countries is aimed at attracting to the Chinese developmental model according to the Beijing Consensus. The "Belt and Road Initiative" megaproject is based on geo-economic imperatives and always seeks to ensure that the development and rise of China is peaceful and will benefit others as well. Achieving this assurance is based on economic interests for the developing regions in order to attracting them, rather than relying on cultural tools and resources. According to conventional western model of soft power, China is facing the challenges for globalizing its culture. The use of relative advantage economically is in Beijing's foreign policy agenda.

The aim of the article is to analyze the position of the economy in China's soft foreign policy in developing regions, which requires understanding the theoretical conceptual-analytical framework of soft power and its results from China's point of view. The research method is descriptive-analytical and is explained based on the link between economy and soft power as the focus of China's soft foreign policy. Therefore, the article seeks to answer the question, what is the place of the economy in China's software foreign policy towards the developing regions? The hypothesis is that China's software policy in developing regions is mainly aimed at creating "spheres of influence" for economic and political goals through (indirect) economic and then cultural soft power.

China wants to present a softer self-image on basis of Chinese culture, and they promote it by the economic tools. 2017 is considered an important turning point in this era. The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China introduced President Xi Jinping's thoughts called "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era" in the party's constitution and started to place political goals alongside economic goals in Beijing's foreign policy. Studying the resolutions issued by the Congress shows that the China still emphasizes the use of economic tools to advance foreign policy goals.

The findings of the research indicate that China is one of the main trade and investment partners, one of the biggest donors in regions such as Africa, Asia and Latin America; it has become a "development model" for developing world, and it is one of the most important grantors of educational scholarships in these regions. Resultly, China's soft power, according to "economy-oriented software" policy, mainly has an economic character. While China is widely seen as an economic partner around the developing world, this does not mean the spread of Chinese values, culture and ideas. China's attractiveness in these areas is basically economic, not necessarily cultural according to the western concept of soft power. In this sense, China's soft power has distinctive features that give it a Chinese character and distinguish it from other models common in Western countries.The result indicates that the attraction of China in e regions is less historical-cultural, rather industrial, scientific and technological power. As long as the economic power of China is progressive, the its soft power will also be strengthened. However, the evidence shows that despite China's prioritization of Southeast Asia and Central Asia in its software foreign policy, it has achieved the most interests (political and economic) in Africa and Latin America.

Cultural influence serves as one of the tools of soft power in the realm of foreign policy, allowing countries to not only strengthen their cultural impact but also achieve their foreign policy objectives. In this context, the United States has endeavored to utilize this aspect of power for its national interests and goals. Therefore, this article aims to address the question: What have been the strategies of cultural influence in U.S. foreign policy? The findings indicate that the strategies of cultural influence in U.S. foreign policy are part of the country's efforts to achieve its geopolitical and economic objectives on a global scale. Educational programs and projects aimed at developing young leaders in various regions of the world, especially in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas, have been used as tools for cultural influence and the dissemination of American values and interests.

Cultural influence serves as one of the tools of soft power in the realm of foreign policy, allowing countries to not only strengthen their cultural impact but also achieve their foreign policy objectives. In this context, the United States has endeavored to utilize this aspect of power for its national interests and goals. Therefore, this article aims to address the question: What have been the strategies of cultural influence in U.S. foreign policy? The findings indicate that the strategies of cultural influence in U.S. foreign policy are part of the country's efforts to achieve its geopolitical and economic objectives on a global scale. Educational programs and projects aimed at developing young leaders in various regions of the world, especially in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas, have been used as tools for cultural influence and the dissemination of American values and interests.

International power is considered one of the essential and fundamental components in international politics. In the classical view, power has been analyzed primarily from a hard power perspective. Consequently, governments, politicians, and policymakers have been encouraged to understand and utilize hard power. However, with the examination of soft power and related concepts such as soft overthrow, soft warfare, and soft security, these ideas quickly gained significant attention in the political discourse of various countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran. This study, employing a descriptive-analytical approach and using library and online resources, seeks to answer the question: What is the analysis of the Islamic Republic of Iran's soft power and its impact on national security? The findings indicate that the most important components of Iran's security in the realm of soft power stem from the dominant values of society, the values of the Islamic Revolution, and soft power in higher-level documents, all of which have a direct relationship with ensuring national security.

In the era of globalization and the expansion of information and communication technologies, we are witnessing the increasing importance of the power of information, considering the importance of cultural literacy as a tool for soft power and cognitive wars in the era of globalization, this research aims to formulate a model of cultural literacy with an emphasis on soft power in the global era. The percentage and image of the Islamic Republic of Iran was done. The current research is developmental in terms of its purpose, and in terms of methodology, the current research is of a qualitative type, which was conducted using the grounded theory method. The statistical population of the research included all the trustees and cultural experts familiar with soft power topics, and the snowball sampling method was used to select the samples. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with 23 experts, and in fact, from the 16th interview onwards, repetition was observed in the received information; But for more certainty, it continued until the 23rd interview. Qualitative validity and reliability were also confirmed. Based on the research findings, a total of 87 codes were created; Based on conceptual and semantic affinity, they were placed in their own group and were reduced to 21 subcategories, and finally, based on secondary open codes, 9 main categories were created. Research and development, design of cultural management system reform mechanisms as a tool to deal with soft power was one of the findings of this research, based

This article aims to understand and recognize the role of digital media in addressing cognitive warfare in Iraq, as well as explore how digital media can effectively confront and navigate the ongoing conflicts in the country. Given Iraq's history of external occupation and current interventions by Western nations, the Iraqi society has become a prime target for cognitive warfare attacks.
To address this research question, thematic analysis of interviews with 20 media and cognitive warfare experts in Iraq was conducted, including professors from Mazaya, Imam Kazem, Farahidi, Baghdad, and Dhiqar universities, until theoretical saturation was achieved.
The analysis of the primary themes derived from the interviews indicates that audience-oriented approaches and professionalism are fundamental strategies that digital media should adopt to effectively address cognitive warfare. In this context, education and awareness-raising, mobilizing public opinion, promoting knowledge and self-confidence within society, and fostering community cohesion are essential components that contribute to audience-centeredness. Furthermore, to achieve professionalism, it is crucial to focus on digital capacity building and the advancement of persuasive journalism within Iraqi society.
To effectively address cognitive warfare, both traditional and new media in Iraq must devote significant attention to this issue. It is essential for these media outlets to fully comprehend the complexities of cognitive warfare and to prioritize informing and educating the public. By considering the needs and interests of the Iraqi audience, media discussions can become more impactful, enabling the Iraqi people and public opinion to better understand the issue at hand.

The nature of power is based on the amount of resources and behavioral power, which is soft power. Behaviorally, soft power is called attractive power in its simplest definition. One of the most important means of its attraction will be the existence of soft power sources. Therefore, soft power is not only attractive behavior, but also resources and elements such as; It also depends on the economy, culture, political values, social values and foreign policy which are considered to create attractiveness. Recently, soft power has become a focal point in management and public policy discourses. Although it does not have a long history, it serves as a complementary counterpart to "hard power". Soft power has gained popularity in defense science, military, public and academic discourse due to its multi-foundation, but it is far from being scientifically conceptualized and paying attention to all its aspects. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to interpret the structural modeling of the components of soft power based on the political values of the Imam of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. The type of research is applied, development, which was determined by using a new analysis under the title of interpretative structural modeling, the relationships between the set of components. Based on the degree of influence and dependence of the components, only the "defense" component was determined as a link component. The key finding is that soft power based on political values in the shadow of defense;

The collapse of the Soviet Union and shaping 15 independent republics had some consequences. First, the role and influence of Moscow in the former superpower was reduced, and on the other hand, the ground was provided for the presence and influence of the West in the areas that were considered part of the Soviet Union in the past, especially the Caucasus. The influence of the West in military, political and cultural dimensions was manifested by facts such as the expansion of NATO to the East and color revolutions in some independent republics of the Soviet Union. After disintegration of the Soviet Union, although Russia was the main inheritor of the Soviet military equipment and power, it did not gain anything from the culture and ideology of the Soviet era, and this was right at the time when the issue of soft power was emphasized at the global level. Since the late 1990s and especially after Putin came to power, the issue of using soft power in Russia's foreign policy became more important. Due to the importance of the South Caucasus republics in Russia's foreign policy, this region became one of the target points for the use of soft power. This region has important to the Russian authorities and there are significant connections between the Russian society and the societies of these countries. Also, existence of cultural and human commonalities between Russia and these countries makes it more susceptible to use soft power.Research Question: what is the status of soft power in Russia's foreign policy towards the South Caucasus republics?Research Hypothesis: Due to the penetration of Russian soft power resources such as language, extensive labor market, cultural commonalities and extensive energy resources, the importance of soft power in Russia's foreign policy towards the South Caucasus republics has increased, although Russia It faces challenges in using soft power.Methodology (and Theoretical Framework if there are): The method of this research is qualitative with a descriptive-analytical approach. Power in international relations has traditionally been defined and assessed in easily quantifiable ‘hard’ terms, often understood in the context of military and economic might. Hard power is deployed in the form of coercion: using force, the threat of force, economic sanctions, or inducements of payment. In contrast to the coercive nature of hard power, soft power describes the use of positive attraction and persuasion to achieve foreign policy objectives. In the early 1990s, the concept of soft power was first used by Joseph Nye. According to Nye, soft power is the ability to influence the behavior of others to achieve their goals by creating attractiveness and non-coercive means. Soft power is the capacity to influence other nations through the use of persuasion and attraction rather than coercion or force. Soft power is the product and outcome of positive portrayal, presenting a self-righteous image, gaining credibility from internal and global public opinion, and the power of indirectly influencing others with satisfaction and attraction. Today, this view to power versus hard power, military power and weapons is used in a way that is combined with coercion and physical violence.Nye identifies soft power as an important part of national power resources and emphasizes the necessity of using it in US foreign policy

after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited the vast military power of the Soviet Union, but it did not inherit any of the communist culture and ideology from the Soviet Union, and this was just at a time when cultural power seemed to be more important than Cold war time. The negative feeling towards the communist ideology in many countries of the world in the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union made it difficult for the Russian authorities to use soft power to rebuild the image of Russia. Russia has sources of soft power such as a vast labor market, cultural commonality, linguistic affinity and rich energy resources to influence the South Caucasus republics. Although it seems that although the Russian authorities have realized the importance of soft power, in many situations and cases they present a wrong interpretation of this concept. Some domestic or foreign policies that are implemented without regard to the wishes of others are an important challenge for the use of soft power. According to Nye, the use of force outside of the accepted international norms and not observing the rules of democracy will seriously damage the effectiveness of soft power. Therefore, the previous and current unresolved disputes with Russia and some of its neighbors have had important negative effects on the soft power of Russia in the South Caucasus and especially in Georgia. The widespread use of military power, especially in Georgia, has affected Russia's credibility in the former Soviet republics and has led some of these countries' leaders to worry about relations with Russia. With these military interventions by Moscow, some politicians in the South Caucasus republics are worried that their susceptibility to Russia's soft power will provide the conditions for Russia's military intervention in their countries, so they resist the manifestations of Russia's soft power. Russia's socio-economic model has also created limitations for the use of Russian soft power in the post-Soviet era. Although Russia has the highest per capita income among the Commonwealth of Independent States, it is facing problems that it cannot solve easily. Among these problems, the high level of corruption is significant. According to the report of Transparency International, the level of corruption in Russia is higher than in many countries of  Commonwealth of Independent States.

The concept of soft power has a strong normative content, which is mainly based on the domestic political and social standards of the country, and if these standards are used at a high level, we can hope for their effectiveness outside the borders. It is not possible to present an attractive and positive image of a country without paying attention to solving internal problems. It seems that in order to make the use of soft power more effective, the Russians should present a more attractive and justified face to the world, especially to the people of the South Caucasus republics, by raising the level of standards such as fighting more corruption and increasing the level of economic well-being.It seems that due to the dominance of the balancers in the last decade and the prospect of holding power for the next decade, the position of soft power in Russia's foreign policy will be strengthened and a more positive face of this country will be presented to the world. Efforts to host cultural, artistic and sports events and to win the hosting of important events such as the World Cup in 2018, the successful holding of the 2013 Student Sports Olympics in Kazan and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi can be evaluated in this regard. Of course, due to the need for a relatively long time for the effects of the use of soft power to appear, one should wait for a longer period of time for the effects of the use of the type of power to appear.

The current research was conducted with the aim of managing public opinion in support of the fundamental values ​​of the foreign policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The qualitative research method was based on grounded theory, relying on the semi-structured interview technique, during which 22 professors of social sciences, political sciences, and future studies of Tehran and Allameh Tabatabai universities were interviewed through targeted theoretical sampling. The findings showed that casting doubt on the fundamental principles of foreign policy, Iranophobia and Islamophobia, weak and inefficient government, luxurious lifestyle and corruption of the officials and creating doubt on the proposition of the hostility of America and the Zionist regime to Iran, weakens public opinion in support of the fundamental values ​​of politics. The foreigner of the Islamic Republic was by the enemy. In the face of such doubts, bringing the discourse of the government closer to the society on the issue of the fundamental values ​​of the system's foreign policy (anti-arrogance and support for the oppressed), changing the form of anti-Americanism and anti-Zionism in the country, cultural planning and management of the media and social networks as the most important solutions for issuing and supporting One of the fundamental values ​​of J.A.'s foreign policy was the management of public opinion. As a result, it can be acknowledged that public opinion can both support the fundamental values ​​of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and undermine these values. Therefore,

China's growing need for global energy resources has made this country pay special attention to the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and the world's largest energy producers. In this regard, the representation of a positive image of Beijing in the eyes of rulers and Arab societies is one of the requirements for the expansion of political, economic, and social relations. This issue can strengthen Beijing's influence and position in the Middle East. On the other hand, Arab politicians, to maintain their legitimacy and present a positive image of Arab countries as developing advanced, and prosperous nations, need to attract large investments from powerful countries such as China in the field of digital infrastructures and social media platforms.This research aims to answer the question of what effect China's digital diplomacy towards Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has had on the development process of this country's relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE and whether this diplomacy has improved the relations between these two countries with China or not. The results of this study suggest that with the beginning of China's focus on the need to enter the Middle East to take advantage of investment opportunities and huge resources, and China's understanding of this to present a positive and peaceful image of itself by using digital diplomacy to expand its influence in this region, China's relations with the mentioned countries have expanded significantly. These relations have been progressing despite the stonewalling of the West and the United States. This is largely due to China's digital diplomacy. The present paper is a descriptive analysis using the documentary and library resources.
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AbstractIran's Islamic Revolution, as a religious revolution, was able to achieve victory and stabilize the Islamic Republic by relying on spirituality as soft power. Spirituality is a component that is considered in the statement of the second step as one of the main axes of this strategic document; Therefore, the position of spirituality in the soft power of the Islamic Revolution needs to be re-read and addressed to issues such as "the role and function of spirituality in promoting the soft power of the Islamic Revolution, the indicators of religious and revolutionary spirituality, the characteristics of competing discourses compared to the spiritual discourse of the Islamic Revolution, and the essential role of the element of spirituality." In increasing the soft power of the Islamic Revolution at the domestic and international levels, attention should be paid. In the present study, attention is paid to the spiritual indicators of the second step statement, such as the spiritual values of sincerity, sacrifice, trust, faith, and rationality, which are not seen in the competing discourses of emerging spiritualities, and instead, by isolating members, irrational sectarianism, and extreme pluralism of sects, and with The use of symbolism has sought to fill the spiritual void of man in the era of modernity, explaining the spiritual discourse of the Islamic Revolution to the public opinion is the way to deal with the challenges and dangers that the new currents create for the original revolutionary spirituality. Keywords: spiritual discourse, soft power, second step statement, indicators of spirituality, rival discourse.