The Russian language as a factor of Russia's soft power in the Arab world using the examples of the UAE and Morocco

Ismailov Samir An independent researcher. Lecturer of the IB discipline 'Global Politics'. Master of Political Science 53 Yuzhnoye Shosse str., Saint Petersburg, Russia, 192241 sam23ismailov@gmail.com Other publications by this author

Introduction:

The concept of soft power was introduced into political science at the end of the 20th century by the American political scientist Joseph Nye. He emphasized that soft power represents an alternative understanding of power in international relations. Nye defined soft power as the ability to achieve desired results through attractiveness, rather than coercion or money ^{[6, 168]}.

However, Joseph Nye's concept of soft power is limited by the fact that the American political scientist filled the concept of soft power with liberal Western ideals such as democracy, freedom of speech, secularism, and so on. Soon, the concept of soft power began to reveal itself more and more as a socially constructed concept. Some authors ^{[4, 6-9]} emphasize that liberal ideas are not always attractive. They cite the example of the Russian Federation, whose morally conservative, religious and anti-imperialist ideas are attractive to many countries, in particular, to the countries of the Global South. These ideals perform the main function of soft power – they generate support for Russia, making the country and its internal and external political courses more attractive.

No matter how soft power is interpreted, the promotion and popularization of the country's language remains one of the most important factors of soft power, since this is not a liberal idea, rather, it is a socially constructed value, because if the national language is attractive to people around the world to study, as it can open up career and academic opportunities, it will have a huge impact. the potential of soft power.

The importance of promoting the Russian language can be found in the officially accepted documents of the Russian Federation. Thus, at the end of March 2023, Russia adopted the "Decree approving the Concept of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation", where article 17.12 clearly defines the task of "strengthening Russia's importance in the global humanitarian space, strengthening the position of the Russian language in the world, and promoting the preservation of historical culture abroad" as the most important goal of implementing Russia's foreign policy. the truth and memory of Russia's role in world history". Also, article 43 was entirely devoted to the importance of promoting the Russian language and protecting it. Russian Russian will be supported by the government and will strengthen its position as a language of international communication, one of the official languages of the United Nations and a number of other international organizations, promote the study and use of the Russian language in foreign countries (primarily in the CIS member states), preserve and strengthen the role of the Russian language in interethnic and interstate communication, including those carried out on the platforms of international organizations, the protection of the Russian language from discrimination abroad" ^[11].

As we can see, for the Russian political establishment, the protection and promotion of the Russian language is one of the key goals in foreign policy. Russian Russian is being promoted and perceived in the Arab world using the example of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates to understand how effectively the Russian language is being promoted in both countries and how attractive it is for learning. This analysis will help determine how well the Russian language is developed as a factor of Russia's soft power in the Arab world. Thus, the purpose of the study is to analyze the Russian language as a source of Russia's soft power in the Arab world using the example of Morocco and the UAE, revealing its attractiveness, limitations and institutions of distribution. The scientific novelty of the article is expressed in the fact that the Russian language has not been sufficiently studied as a factor of soft power in the Arab world, in particular, in the Kingdom of Morocco. For example, some researchers ^{[9, 88-89]} have studied Russia's soft power policy in the Persian Gulf countries from a historical perspective. Russian Russian was also analyzed by researchers as a soft power of Russia in Central Asia ^{[7, 93-94]}, as well as the Russian language was studied. as a source of soft power in the South Caucasus ^{[1, 98-99]}. However, as noted above, the Russian language as a tool of Russia's soft power has not been studied sufficiently in the Arab world, especially using the examples of Morocco and the UAE, which represent different regions of the Arab world – North Africa and the Persian Gulf, respectively.

Methods and selection of cases for analysis:

The choice of the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Morocco is explained by three main reasons:

Firstly, both Countries represent different parts of the Arab world. The UAE represents the Middle East, while Morocco is part of North Africa.

Secondly, although both states have similarities, such as a common religion, there are cultural differences between them. For example, people from Morocco represent the Arabs of the Maghreb and speak the Darijah dialect of Arabic. People from the United Arab Emirates represent the Arabian Peninsula region and speak modern standard Arabic, but most of the indigenous people of the Emirates speak the Arabic language of the Persian Gulf.

Thirdly, Morocco and the UAE have different political regimes. The Kingdom of Morocco is a dualistic monarchy, while the United Arab Emirates combines a republican and a monarchical form of government, although all seven emirates are absolute monarchies.

All the information mentioned above proves that the chosen example is well suited for analysis, since Morocco and the United Arab Emirates represent the Arab world, but both countries have different cultures and political systems.

As for the survey methods, two main types were used:

First, these are the "Yes" and "No" answers in order to determine how attractive the Russian language is to respondents from Morocco and the UAE and how well-developed the language promotion institutions in these countries are.

Secondly, we used a multiple-choice questionnaire to analyze the Russian language in the context of the crisis in Ukraine. This type of questionnaire will help you understand whether attitudes towards the Russian language have changed in the Arab world amid the Ukrainian crisis.

To analyze the responses in the questionnaire, two main methods were used:

First, it is a pie chart showing the general opinion of Moroccans and Emiratis. Secondly, it is a bar chart to analyze in detail the responses coming from Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, which will help to implement a comparative analysis and get a more complete picture of the distribution of Russian soft power in different parts of the Arab world.

364 people took part in the survey. 195 respondents were from the United Arab Emirates and 169 from the Kingdom of Morocco. The age ranking ranged from 18 to 65 years old, men and women are not equally represented: 55% of men and 45% of women participated in the questionnaire. All respondents are citizens of the UAE and Morocco, respectively. The questionnaires and surveys were conducted between August 2023 and June 2024.

The main part:

Question 1: Have you ever thought about learning Russian?

Knowing the language of a country can open up opportunities for studying, doing business, and traveling around the country. For example, English is the first language in the world, which is studied in most countries of the world. By learning English, people discover more job opportunities in the future and spread a good image of English-speaking countries. As a result, the United Kingdom and especially the United States of America benefit from tourism and the best minds in the world who come to their countries to study or work.

In the same way, the Russian language is a tool for Moscow that can attract highly qualified specialists from all over the world to Russia, who will be able to contribute to the development of the country, as well as spread the best image of the state in the world.

In general, the question was asked because the attractiveness of the Russian language can create a better image of the country, as well as potentially attract businesses and qualified specialists who will contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of the state.

The survey results are presented as follows:

Russian Russian was considered by the majority of respondents (56.04%), while 43.96% of respondents stated that they had never intended to study Russian.

An interesting analysis can be obtained by dividing the results obtained from the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.

Russian russians were considered an option by 67.69% of respondents in the UAE, while 32.31% of Emirati residents did not plan to study Russian.

In Morocco, 44.38% are considering the option of learning Russian, while for 55.62% of respondents this option is not relevant.

How can we explain the higher percentage of those who want to learn Russian among the residents of the Emirates compared to the residents of Morocco?

There are two main reasons:

First, it's migration. At the time of 2024, about 150,000 (one hundred and fifty thousand) Russians will live in the UAE ^[3], while about 3,000 (three thousand) Russian-speaking people live in Morocco.^[8]

The bottom line is that there are 50 times more Russians living in the United Arab Emirates than in Morocco. In this way, Russian citizens in the UAE can better spread Russian culture, including language, history, politics, news, and more, which can encourage Emirati residents to learn Russian.

Secondly, trade between Moscow and Abu Dhabi, on the one hand, and Moscow and Rabat, on the other hand, plays a role in the difference. In 2023, bilateral trade between Russia and the United Arab Emirates reached $9 billion.^[10] Meanwhile, the bilateral trade turnover between Moscow and Rabat for the same period amounted to $ 1.94 billion.^[2] So, you can see that Russia has more trade and economic relations with the UAE than with Morocco. That's why more people from Russia come to the UAE to work or open a business. In response, more and more people from the Emirates want to learn the language, as trade and business between the two countries are steadily growing year after year.

Russian russians are less willing to learn Russian in Morocco, but the 44.38% of people who are considering learning Russian shows a solid result that could potentially improve relations between the two countries in the future.

Russian Russian is generally viewed positively in the Arab world, as 56.04% of all respondents from both countries said they were considering learning Russian. This means that the Russian language really produces a soft power in the Arab world.

Question 2: If so, do you think there are enough opportunities in your country to learn Russian?

This question was primarily addressed to the respondents who stated that they were considering learning Russian (56.04%). This decision is justified by the idea that if people consider learning Russian, they analyze the opportunities they have for learning the language in their countries of residence.

Secondly, the opportunities to learn Russian are directly related to Russia's soft power and the opportunities that Moscow creates for people abroad to learn their language. This is crucial to meet the interests of foreigners in language learning by creating language institutes, schools, universities, and cultural exchange programs in order to increase the popularity of the country and spread the Russian language. In general, if a country has enough opportunities to learn a language, it means that Moscow takes care of its soft power by offering foreigners the necessary education. If there are not enough opportunities, then the development of Russian soft power in the region leaves much to be desired.

The survey showed the following results:

Russian russians Out of 56.04% of respondents who said they were considering learning Russian (in this case, we take them to be 100%), 55% of people said they thought there were enough opportunities in their countries to learn Russian, while 45% disagreed, saying they had they don't have enough opportunities to do this, even if they want to.

But here we need to look at the results in each country in order to understand the important feature of learning Russian in the UAE and Morocco.

Russian Russians In the United Arab Emirates, 80% of respondents said they had enough opportunities to learn Russian, while in Morocco, only 30% of people felt they had enough opportunities to learn Russian.

How can this difference be explained?

Firstly, we have already mentioned that economic relations and trade between Moscow and Abu Dhabi are much more developed than between Moscow and Rabat. Therefore, if there is a high level of economic relations between states, then there is great potential for the development of cultural relations. By cultural relations, we mean that there will be more opportunities to invest in the dissemination of the Russian language, institutions, schools, and mass media in the United Arab Emirates. In addition, as bilateral relations and migration of Russians to the UAE continue to grow, more and more people in the Emirates will be willing to learn the language of their close partners.

As an example, there are many language institutes in the United Arab Emirates that offer Russian language courses, such as the Eton Institute, Headway Institute, Berlitz Language Center, and many others.

In addition, there are Russian schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that provide students with quality education based on the Russian educational program. Students study all subjects of the Federal State Educational Standard of the Russian Federation and subjects that are mandatory for all students in the UAE, such as Arabic and Islamic Studies.

Thus, it is safe to say that Russian soft power is well-established and operates in the United Arab Emirates, since their citizens really have enough opportunities to learn Russian, as well as to get acquainted with its culture, history and education.

As for Morocco, we can see a less positive picture here.

Russian Russian schools are not available in Morocco, so Moroccans do not have the opportunity to experience Russian culture, language, and education.

Secondly, the largest language institutes in Morocco, such as the Language and Culture Center, the British Language Academy, and Easy Progress Maroc do not offer Russian language courses. The mentioned institutes focus exclusively on English, Arabic and French. There are only online platforms that provide at least some opportunities to learn Russian in Morocco. But this can hardly be considered an argument, since the purpose of this question was to understand whether people know which institutes, schools or universities in their country can offer them Russian language courses.

Russian Russian As it turns out, there are plenty of opportunities in the United Arab Emirates to learn Russian, which will allow for a better understanding of Russian culture and history. But in Morocco, people don't have such good opportunities. This analysis shows that the potential of Russia's soft power in Morocco has yet to be revealed.

Question 3: Do you think that knowing Russian can bring you any benefit?

The survey showed the following result:

65.32% of respondents from both countries said that knowledge of the Russian language could be useful for them, while 34.68% considered it unnecessary.

If we divide the results of the UAE and Morocco, we will see the difference between the two countries.:

In the United Arab Emirates, 73.85% of respondents said that speaking Russian could be very useful for them, while 26.15% considered knowledge of the language optional.

In Morocco, the picture is similar, but the proportions are different: 56.8% said that the Russian language could be useful to them, while 43.2% do not believe that this language can bring them advantages in the future.

The difference in results between the UAE and Morocco can again be explained by the broader ties between Moscow and Abu Dhabi, as well as the large number of Russian immigrants living in the United Arab Emirates compared to Morocco.

If we analyze the free answers given by some respondents from the UAE and Morocco, the consensus in the Middle Eastern country was that knowing any language can be very useful for everyone, as it is a strong tool for communication between people and a source of self-development. In addition, respondents from the Emirates added that Russia is an important country for the Middle East, especially if economic and cultural ties are taken into account. That is why knowledge of the Russian language can be useful for residents of the Emirates in order to develop the already established good relations between Moscow and Abu Dhabi.

Russian Russians in Morocco, who believe that the Russian language can benefit them, have stated that Russian is the official language of the United Nations, and that Russian is spoken in many countries around the world, especially in the former Soviet Union. That's why knowing a language can open up better opportunities for them to study and work.

It is important to note that most Emiratis living in the United Arab Emirates are already bilingual from an early age, speaking Arabic and English, as English is taught in most schools in the UAE. In addition, English is often required for employment in the United Arab Emirates. Thus, it is obvious that the Emiratis have an advantage because they have already been bilingual since early childhood. That's why they take learning a third language, such as Russian, more seriously.

The situation is different in Morocco. From an early age, people learn Arabic (the Darijah dialect) with the opportunity to study French in most schools in major cities such as Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech and Fez, since both Arabic and French are required for high-paying jobs in Morocco ^[5]. In addition, they need to learn English, as it increases people's chances of getting better-paying jobs. This is what the Moroccan respondents emphasized when they talked about why they were not considering learning Russian. They prefer to focus on Arabic, French, and English, so they are not considering the possibility of seriously studying Russian.

Thus, it can be argued that the different linguistic cultures existing in the UAE and Morocco, as well as broader economic and cultural ties between Moscow and Abu Dhabi, explain why more people in the United Arab Emirates want to learn Russian than in Morocco.

Question 4: How do you view the Russian language at the moment (approx. 2024)?

On this question, the respondents were offered a choice of three possible answers.:

A) As a tool of communication and cultural exchange

B) As a tool for promoting political ideas

C) I find it difficult to answer.

This question was aimed at understanding, especially in the context of the Ukrainian crisis, how people in the Arab world relate to the Russian language. As always, the respondents were offered the option "I find it difficult to answer" if they do not have a clear answer to the question.

The survey showed the following result:

75% of the respondents said they consider the Russian language to be a tool of communication and cultural exchange. Only 7.1% of respondents said they associate the Russian language with a tool for promoting political ideas, while 17.9% of those who voted found it difficult to answer this question.

Russians Russians divide the results between the UAE and Morocco, and we see a similar picture: 73.85% and 76.92%, respectively, consider Russian as an instrument of cultural exchange, 6.1% and 7.69% consider Russian to be an instrument of political ideas, and 20% and 15.38% found it difficult to answer the question.

Russians Russian continues to generate the attractiveness and support of Russia in the UAE and Morocco, as the vast majority of respondents consider Russian as a tool of cultural and business communication.

Conclusions:

After the analysis, we can say that the Russian language is an important tool for promoting Russian soft power in the Arab world. Russian Russian Russian Russian is an effective source of soft power in Russia, as the majority of respondents stated that: a) they have thought about learning the Russian language; b) they believe that the Russian language can benefit them in their working or academic careers; c) the Russian language is associated in the vast majority of cases with a means of communication and cultural exchange. Russian Russian language learning is widespread in the Arab world, especially in the UAE, as there are many language institutes and Russian schools in the Emirates that allow learning Russian.

Russian Russian language promotion as an important source of Russia's soft power is uneven, as institutions for the dissemination and promotion of the Russian language are much more developed in the UAE than in Morocco. This is the main limitation of the Russian language as a source of Russia's soft power in the Arab world.