The UAE leads the way for the Mena region in the Global Soft Power Index 2022 ranking of reputation and influence.
The country earned a score of 52 to place 15th overall. Israel and Saudi Arabia were placed 23rd and 24th, respectively. The UAE has climbed two places from its position in last year’s index.
In the category of Influence the UAE took 10th place.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said on Twitter that the "real soft power of the UAE is in its development model that brings together East and West".
"It brings together the best ideas and minds. It brings together people of all cultures without discrimination," he wrote.
In the latest report, released on Tuesday, the US regained its place as the top-ranked country overall, climbing six places to gain a position it last held in 2020, followed by the UK, Germany and China.
All four countries were deemed instrumental to global recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, said the report’s author, Brand Finance.
Expo and Mars mission factors in UAE’s rise
The Emirates performed best in the category of Business and Trade, coming in the top 10 globally. The best scoring metric was “easy to do business with” in which it ranked fourth, followed by “strong and stable economy”, in which it took eighth place.
The UAE is seen to be emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic well, with the success of Expo 2020 Dubai being taken into account.
Aligning the work week with that of the western world, from Monday to Friday, also contributed to positive perception as a business-friendly nation. The report noted that the introduction of federal corporate tax in 2023 may influence its score in future surveys.
The UAE also ranked highly for Influence and International Relations, which was largely down to the signing and introduction of the Abraham Accords.
In the “good relations with other countries” category, the UAE placed 23rd and on “helpful to countries in need” it now ranks 11th. This is attributable to donations of PPE and vaccine doses.
The UAE also improved its Covid-19 Response score, ranking 12th compared with 15th last year.
The fastest improvement for the Emirates this year was in the Education & Science pillar, where it gained a whole point since 2021.
China battles through pandemic to rise in global standing
China received its best Global Soft Power Index score yet, moving up from eighth to fourth overall. Its ranking rose by almost 10 points to 64.2, and Covid score also improved by 1.7 points as a result of strict lockdowns, which brought it from 30th to 19th place.
The Olympic Games in Beijing were heralded as one of the biggest global events since the outbreak of the virus, and China was commended for its handling of such a busy occasion.
“The 2022 Winter Olympics proved an understated success for China,” Guy Verhofstadt, a member of the European Parliament and a former prime minister of Belgium, said in the report.
China has also offered aid to affected countries in the form of PPE and vaccine doses.
Newcomers find their place
Fifteen countries were included for the first time in this year’s index. They were mostly less populous and none entered the top 50, although Maldives came in at 52.
“The small size of a nation is not a barrier to occupying a strong position in the soft power ranking, as demonstrated by Switzerland, UAE and other nations that have created positive overall brand perceptions, and worked hard on building their national brand images, mainly through soft power,” said Paul Temporal of Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.
The rankings were determined by an online survey, conducted with a sample size of more than 101,000 adults aged between 18 and 75, in 101 countries. Field reports were also used.
Australia and New Zealand descend the ranks
The Global Soft Power Index 2022 results were influenced by how well nations have managed their recovery from the pandemic.
Last year’s study was affected by the spread of the virus and its social, political, and economic consequences.
“China shows much improvement, as did European countries such as Italy and Spain, with Switzerland scoring highest,” Dr Temporal said.
The countries’ performances were markedly different to those of Australia and New Zealand. Both fell down the rankings due to their Covid-19 policies.
“We didn’t get it all perfect, but largely the Covid response has proven to be very effective,” said David Downs, chief executive of New Zealand Story, a group set up to enhance the country’s reputation.
“Our fatalities per capita were just 11 people per million – over 100 times lower than some other countries.
“We’re acutely aware of the sacrifices others have had to make, and grateful that we were able to learn from the work of others, and benefit from the vaccines we received.”
Russia initially ranked ninth, up from 13th, but the report did not take into account the conflict in Ukraine. As a result, Russia's ranking will be recalculated and announced during the Global Soft Power Index Summit later this year.
Soft power is seen as the counterpart to hard power, which uses military force. It is a nation’s ability to influence opinion on a global scale through persuasion as opposed to coercion.
Seven pillars are used to score the favourable or unfavourable perception of a country’s brand. They include Business and Trade, Governance, International Relations, Culture and Heritage, Media and Communication, Education and Science, and People and Values.
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