Akad Center for Economic and Financial Studies / Soft Power and its Impact on Iraq’s Accession to China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Soft Power and its Impact on Iraq’s Accession to China’s Belt and Road Initiative

May 16, 2023

Soft Power and its Impact on Iraq’s Accession to China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Dr. Suhaila Abdel-Zahra Mastour Al-Hujaimi1

Department of Economics, College of Administration and Economics / Al-Mustansiriya University

Dr . Sadiq Tohme Khalaf Al-Bahadly 2

Department of Finance and Banking, College of Administration and Economics / Al-Mustansiriya University

 

Abstract

The research deals with determining what we mean by soft power, what is its impact on relations with Iraq, and the extent of pressure used by countries to not join Iraq in the Chinese Belt and Silk Road Initiative. Iraq does not have enough will to hinder and stop soft power from interfering in internal affairs and many forces are competing for Iraq for its geographical location and economic potential, as well as there is obstruction from other countries. Is it related to the issue of Iraq’s accession to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and the question raised?  Do these forces accept that Iraq is part of this initiative, especially since there is a conflict of axes and a conflict of economic interests?

If we take the position of China, this important party in the equation, there is no doubt that it has the challenge of achieving and succeeding in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, which is the challenge of facing American pressure, which seeks to maintain its position as one dominant pole in the international system and each country has soft power that it uses to achieve its political and economic interests, and the same challenge remains for Iraq in achieving its interests under the control of these forces. Does the United States accept Iraq’s entry into this project and everyone knows the size of the political, economic, and military hegemony over this country, such as the United States of America, and how Iraq will face the competition of other countries affected by Iraq’s accession to the initiative, and the “soft power theory” remains prevalent, China may use its ability to invest and grant loans to countries to complete infrastructure as a means to increase its soft power and extend its global economic influence, and as there is soft power exercised on Iraq for lack of  Joining the initiative also China has soft power to control and influence through politics, economy, loans and control over implemented projects.

Introduction :                                                                                                           

There is no doubt that China has interests in the Middle East as a promising economic power looking for wide markets to discharge its many products, so there is a large spending in order to reach these markets and compete with other economic powers through cheap goods and products, so the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative may be an opportunity for Iraq to diversify its sources of income, especially since this country is going through a financial and economic crisis as well as the health crisis and the expenses it needs to reduce the repercussions of the Corona virus pandemic Oil export revenues are not enough to meet public expenditures in the federal budget, but is it easy so that soft power allows Iraq to join this initiative, knowing that there are interests of many countries except Western or Arab not to join this initiative, so is Iraq entitled to exercise soft power on its part as a country that has a strategic location and natural wealth and markets itself to achieve its economic interests.

Just as China has the challenge of achieving and succeeding in its initiative is the challenge of facing American pressures that seek to maintain its position as one dominant pole in the international system with the slogan “America First”, the same challenge remains in front of Iraq, so does the United States accept Iraq’s entry into this project and everyone knows the size of the political, economic and military hegemony over this country, such as the United States of America, how Iraq will face the competition of other countries affected by Iraq’s accession to the initiative.

The success of the Chinese Silk Road remains under the following hypothesis (the more countries joining the initiative, the easier it is for China to extend its hegemony and economic influence), and the theory adopted is the “soft power theory”, as China uses its ability to invest and grant loans to countries to complete infrastructure as a way to increase its soft power and extend its global economic influence, and as there is soft power exercised on Iraq not to join the initiative also China has soft power to control and influence through politics Economic loans and control of the implemented projects.

Opening Words: Soft Power, Impact, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Benefits, Gains, Requirements, Challenges.

Search problem:

A real problem for research is (determining what we mean by soft power, what is its impact on relations with Iraq, and the extent of pressure used by countries not to join Iraq in the Chinese Belt and Silk Road Initiative, knowing that all studies say that achieving accession will lead to positive results on sustainable development in Iraq and achieve the process of diversifying sources of national income and the Iraqi economy is in dire need of this diversification being a one-sided economy that depends on the export of crude oil.

 

 

 

The importance of research :                                                                                                   

By looking at reality, we find that there is a role for soft power in reshaping the Middle East and Iraq is purely the interest of this power, so there is a real debate regarding the issue of Iraq’s accession to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, and everyone asks a question? Does this force accept that Iraq is in this initiative? There are even countries whose affiliation with this power may prevent Iraq from joining because its interests will be harmed, so the importance of the issue stems from the concept of soft power and how it arose. What are the conditions of its development? And how is it practiced? Where is his theater?

Research hypothesis:

The research started from the premise that “there is pressure from soft power to disrupt Iraq’s accession to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, and Iraq does not have the power to hinder and stop soft power in interfering in internal affairs, and it is required to possess the sufficient and real will to make the data of the stage in the interests of the country instead of being in the interests of its enemies or competitors.”

Research Objectives :

  • Providing a theoretical framework for soft power in terms of concept, tools, and means, as the research provides a theoretical framework for the concept of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, its objectives, and its importance to Iraq.
  • How did the soft power tools enable the United States of America to achieve its strategy to bring about structural changes in some joints of the political system in Iraq, knowing that the soft power tools are not limited to the United States, but some neighboring and regional countries exercise soft power because Iraq did not join the initiative?
  • Analyze and evaluate the economic effects of soft power in the framework of its work for Iraq’s non-accession to the initiative, with clarification of the benefits and gains of Iraq’s accession to this initiative.

 

Research Structure:

The research included three axes, the first: determining the theoretical framework of the subject and addressing the nature of soft power in terms of definition, meaning, and importance, with a focus on the data on soft power in Iraq and its impact on Iraq’s accession to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, with the identification of the giant Chinese Silk Road project and the origin and content of this project.       The third axis is soft power and its impact on Iraq’s accession to the initiative, while identifying the most important goals for the countries joining the Chinese Belt and Silk Road Initiative and what are the gains for Iraq through Iraq.

 

Soft power:  Theoretical and conceptual framework

The concept of soft power emerged in American foreign policy for purposes related to changing the tools of war from (hard military power to soft power), which is reflected in its cultural, economic, and media tools.

First: The concept of soft power

The concept of “soft power” was formed in a  1990 article by Joseph Nye published by the American magazine “Foreign Affairs” in which the term “non-coercive subordination power” was used, and then the term developed to become soft power as one of the powers of subordination, and this concept was not limited to American foreign policy, each country has the right to search for its soft power by enabling its position among countries, as the achievements in the field of soft power are not a complex process, but an organized process that requires integrated participation between the elements of power Soft in any society, which revolves around (culture, development, education, diplomatic relations and government performance in the developmental and social fields).[1]  Some defined it  as: soft power ([2]is in essence the ability of a particular nation to influence other nations and direct their public choices, based on the attractiveness of its social and cultural system and its system of values and institutions instead of relying on coercion or threat, and this attractiveness can be spread in various ways “popular culture, private and public diplomacy, international organizations, all companies and commercial institutions operating, and limits the soft power of any of the major countries active on the world stage in three basic elements ( General culture and whether it is attractive or repulsive to others, political values and the seriousness of commitment to them, whether at home or abroad, peace or war, foreign policy and the degree of legitimacy and voluntary acceptance by the countries and peoples of the world in a way that enhances the status of the state, as defined soft power “as the ability to get what you want through gravity instead of coercion, which is the ability to influence the behavior of others to obtain the desired results and goals without having to Excessive use of military and hard factors and means[3]. I do not think that military power is exercised only by the United States of America, as Iraq has a strategic location linking the East with the West and the competition is great for it, as it has the goods that make everyone compete for a position in this country, even China exercises soft power through projects and initiatives provided by it, so the objectors confirm that there is a danger to Iraq from China, as it is through loans that Iraq can be affiliated with it Soft power is more than just persuasion or the ability to woo people with argument, but it may be the ability to attract, and the latter often leads to acquiescence, and when soft power is defined through behavior, it simply means “attractive power” and of course, this is achieved through the media, economic tools, aid, loans, as well as cultural tools that produce such attractiveness in countries.

Soft power has a huge impact on the decisions made by individuals, companies, or governments, and Joseph Nye, the founder of the idea of soft power, said that it is a means of success for those who realize how to benefit from it. [4] Some go to define soft power as “the ability to get others to do what they did not want to do, and others see it as the establishment of a subordinate relationship between two parties through which the first party can make the second party do what it wants, i.e. the act adds to the interests of the owner of the power. [5]

Second: Soft power resources.

The resources of soft power are summarized in promoting the values, culture, and goals of political and economic forces and exploiting this in weakening the resources and economy of competitors and those who calculate the preparation of the national interests of the great powers, and this is done by expanding the area and attractiveness of cultural, commercial, media and scientific symbols and spaces of creativity and innovations to reduce the influence of competitors to extend, improve and polish this attractiveness and its image and install a false legitimacy for behavioral dealings and hit any interests and benefits of the concerned state that is looking for its interests in light of this direct and indirect pressure Not to go to an axis that can achieve economic gains and benefits. In light of this, soft power means “the ability of the state to use non-military means to achieve its goals and interests, and the most important of these tools and means, media, cultural, political and even popular pressure towards creating chaos in its appearance convincing peoples looking for basic services and job opportunities, but move in favor of causing chaos that disrupts the public life of societies, and access to these goals in various ways through carrot and temptation[6].

There may be confusion in employing the real understanding of soft power and knowing its nature, as some believe that the concept of soft power can be called non-military activities and means that fall within the scope of hard power, and this is an understanding from an ethical angle because it is an alternative to hard military power, but the reality of soft power goes beyond that to include the media discourse industry, the formation of the mental image and the marketing of the state’s reputation to the peoples of the world. Soft power in depth is based on raising slogans and desirable and beloved issues and searching for common values with the target party, for example (the concepts of freedom, modernity, democracy, and human rights), and all these concepts are sought by people and individuals[7].

The ambiguity of the real understanding of soft power has increased the predominance of the immaterial nature over its dimensions, both in terms of the nature of the resources of power and the mechanisms of its practices or objectives, and may address many mechanisms that do not depend on military power, but by attracting and attracting others through mechanisms based on framing, persuasion, and attractiveness, and relying more on non-material resources such as culture, political values and the legitimacy of foreign policies, to achieve the desired[8] outputs.  In light of this, it does not mean the use of soft power by economic and political power only, as a country like Iraq has the right to use the elements of this power to achieve its political, economic, and social interests.

Third: the negative model of soft power.

There is no doubt that the concept of soft power is a complex and intertwined concept, if it is used by large countries, it can be used from small countries in their resources and economy, as the extreme enthusiasm in talking about soft power and the importance of employing it by countries to improve their image globally and achieve their political goals, and there is no doubt about the fact of that, but in fact soft power can be a double-edged sword if we do not understand it well and deal with it, any effort that is humiliated may The developer of the concept says[9]:  (The external recipient is of paramount importance, if soft power initiatives cannot be attractive and convincing, the soft power strategy is doomed to failure), this strategy usually leads to putting the state under the spotlight through economic, commercial and cultural events, conferences and seminars, but it China, for example, has enormous soft power sources by all standards, supported by economic and military power, yet its evaluation in soft power indicators is low compared to the United States of America, but with India, which is much lower than it in those sources, and the reason is that China has not developed a soft power strategy and has not been able to develop a comprehensive domestic and external vision that is positive in its entirety and acceptable from a global perspective[10].

There is no doubt that Iraq made a serious mistake after 2003, as it provided a blatant example of the failure of public diplomacy and soft power, there is no strategic vision for a political system trusted by the Arab and regional environment with a media that does not know what it wants, it is unreasonable that you cannot issue four million barrels stating that Iraq will export 12 million barrels per day, these statements, which do not correspond to the size of the country and its actual capabilities, this policy seeks to achieve goals and ambitions much greater than the size of The country is in the shadow of the media does not know that this will antagonize others as if you are declaring economic war on them trying to destroy them, so Iraq witnessed a war of symbols of evil and terrorism and paid billions to buy receivables to destroy the social fabric and disrupt the movement of the economy in the country.

China’s giant Silk Road project. Origin, content, and objectives

First: The emergence of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

This initiative is a revival of the idea of the ancient Silk Road, and this idea dates back to the second century BC, and it was a network of roads taken by caravans to transport commercial goods from China, Central Asia, Persia, the Arabs, and Europe, and the silk commodity was one of the most important goods that were exported by China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping revived the idea of the old Silk Road when he visited Kazakhstan in 2013, as he announced the establishment of the new economic belt, and called it the “Chinese Belt and Road Initiative”, a global economic project consisting of two parts, the first land called the road and the second maritime called the belt, “and thus the name of the initiative became the Belt and Road and in some writings, we find it bearing the name of the New Silk Road to distinguish on an old road that caravans followed for trade and transport of goods [11].

The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative have emerged, and the Chinese economy has huge financial capabilities and capabilities that enable it to support the initiative with all the capabilities it needs for its success, as well as that China has greater political and diplomatic capabilities to support this initiative, so the initiative is a strategy and framework for development focused on the development of infrastructure that enhances economic cooperation between countries along the proposed tracks, as the strategy confirms China’s attempt to play a greater role in global affairs, and it is a win-win strategy in New international dynamics[12].

Second: The content of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

As for the content of the initiative, this  initiative consists of a sea route linking China and Europe on the one hand and a land economic belt, which is a network of land roads, aimed at linking the three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe), and this land belt includes six corridors, namely[13]:

  • A road running from western China to western Russia represents the new Eurasian land bridge.
  • The China-Mongolia, Russia corridor runs from western China to western Russia.
  • A road that runs from western China to Turkey and this road represents the China corridor to Central Asia and Western Asia.
  • The China Corridor, the Indian Peninsula, extends from southern China to Singapore.
  • The corridor of Bangladesh, China, India, and Myanmar, stretches from southern China to India.
  • The China-Pakistan corridor extends from southwest China to Pakistan.
  • The path of the Maritime Silk Road starts from the ports of southern China towards Southeast Asia to sail ships in the Pacific Ocean and land their passengers in the ports of India and the Malay Archipelago, and from there set off towards the Arabian Gulf, and this road serves Iraq in the event of joining the Chinese initiative, and after the Gulf the path is heading a branch of it to Aden, as goods are transported to the Red Sea and from there to the Mediterranean.

 

The  Chinese president put forward the initiative during his tour in Central Asia and Southeast Asia, as it included more than 65 countries from three continents, Asia, Europe, and Africa, with a population of more than 65% of the total world population, about four and a half billion people, as well as attracting about 35% of world trade and more than 31% of global GDP, and it will cost China 12 times what the United States spent in the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Europe after the war. The goal of the Silk Project plan is to spend 900 billion dollars for a new era in which China dominates the world, as China will eventually provide up to 8 trillion dollars for infrastructure in 68 countries, 2631 offered through the initiative with a total of 3.7 trillion US dollars and contracts from 2600 international companies and institutions and representing non-Chinese companies by about 55% with several cooperation memoranda with 126 countries and memoranda of cooperation with 29 international organizations The volume of trade exchange between China and the country joining the initiative exceeded 6 trillion US dollars, and 440 billion dollars was spent on infrastructure projects, in addition to the opening of 76 branches by 11 Chinese banks in 28 countries joining the initiative, and 50 banks from 22 countries of the initiative to open branches in China[14].

Third: Strategic Objectives of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

China affirms that this initiative aims to promote economic cooperation and effective distribution of resources, and seeks to expand the integration of markets and thus achieve economic development, which will benefit all participating countries, but behind this declared speech China hides several strategic goals, there is no doubt that its economic interests are a priority in this speech, although the interests of the countries involved with it are reserved, there is no economic and trade cooperation except for mutual benefit.

Accordingly, China’s strategic objectives can be summarized as follows:

  • Increasing Chinese exports: This initiative is one of the engines of economic growth and employment in China, for example, it is expected to establish 20,000 km of railways within the framework of the initiative, which contributes to finding outlets for iron and steel production in China, and digital industries will be developed and the activity of Chinese companies in the field of communication technology will be enhanced, and will increase their market share in the field of global e-commerce.
  • Excess industrial production is the most important driver behind the initiative; for example, China produces about 1.1 billion tons of steel annually but only consumes 800 million tons domestically.
  • The time for transporting Chinese goods to the markets of the European Union, which is China’s first trading partner, will be reduced, as the transport of goods, for example, by sea between the Chinese city of Shanghai and the Dutch city of Rotram required at least a month, and it required three weeks to transport these goods by rail and fifteen days by truck.
  • China is a country that manufactures goods and needs to secure energy supplies and is the first importer of fuel at the global level, and for this, it is trying to reduce its dependence on the Gulf countries and Africa by diversifying sources of energy access, supply contracts with Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.
  • Getting the Chinese economy out of the recession that it experienced like the rest of the world’s economies after the economic crisis (2008-2009 ), especially in the construction, banking, and manufacturing sectors, as well as the generalization of the use of the Chinese currency at the regional level[15].
  • Avoid U.S. naval forces that are present in the Indo-Pacific Oceans, which pose a threat to China’s energy supplies, in case of great disagreement with the United States, as the latter can impose naval on these supplies.
  • China’s success in adding its yuan currency to the Special Drawing Rights basket of the International Monetary Fund enhances the position of this currency globally and makes it a major currency for global trade exchange, as it will allow through the Silk Initiative to use the yuan in settling financial transactions between China and the countries participating in the initiative.
  • Through the initiative, China seeks to assert its rise as an international political and economic power competing with the United States and a second pole of the world economy, offering a competitive economic development model for Western capitalism.
  • Through its project, China aims to support its economic plan bearing the slogan “Made in China 2025”, which aims to transform China into an advanced economy with high added value, while transferring low-manufacturing companies to other countries in the Southeast Asian region, and this will contribute in the long run to making the economy grow at a faster pace than the global economy so that the Chinese initiative makes the Chinese economy become the engine of the global economy.
  • China’s control over the management of projects around the world, especially strategic seaports, will allow it to open stable naval bases that enable it to move its fleets from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, thus strengthening its political and military influence in an unprecedented way.

 

Soft Power and its Impact on Iraq’s Accession to China’s Belt and Road Initiative

(Objectives, Benefits, and Challenges) 

 

First: Objectives of the countries joining the Chinese Belt and Silk Road Initiative

  • The State of China has allocated large funds for this initiative and the participation of Iraq in this initiative represents a great opportunity to develop the infrastructure that successive governments in this country have been unable to solve and finance this type of investment despite its importance to advance economic development, and all these funds for the development of infrastructure, which was allocated by China falls within the framework of the soft power policy pursued by China to market its initiative and trade to the world, which represents conflict and commercial competition on the world in a way In general and on the Middle East and the location of Iraq in particular.
  • The Chinese initiative is based on support for the participating countries, which will stimulate trade and industry in the country, as Iraq needs huge funds to develop its infrastructure and the country does not have the financial resources to implement many projects.
  • This initiative will allow achieving balanced growth between the various regions of the country after the implementation of the strategic port of FAO, which will be a corridor linking Asia and Europe, this will achieve job opportunities and revenues for the general budget, which will mitigate the risks of violent unrest and instability, and therefore the Chinese role in this is not denied, especially since the United States of America, during the period of its occupation of Iraq, did not notice the Iraqi people any cooperation that could affect the progress and development of the country.
  • The initiative, according to its announcement, will ensure the provision of infrastructure in any country that will participate in this initiative, such as roads, ports, electricity networks, and fiber optic cables, and this will stimulate investments in other economic sectors and will generate more jobs and eliminate unemployment, and this is hoped, but did China offer the Iraqi government to implement such projects, and where is the defect, is their American pressure not to implement these projects.
  • China’s policy differs from the policy of the West and the United States of America, as China refuses to put political conditionality, and this is within the framework of the so-called “Beijing Consensus”, as the Chinese government emphasizes equality between countries, mutual trust, and balanced economic cooperation, especially since China is a permanent member of the Security Council and has the right of veto, so establishing strong relations with China may be avoided by sanctions from the Security Council[16].

Second: Challenges and obstacles to the initiative facing Iraq

This initiative faces several obstacles and challenges that may be internal and external, including the soft power policy practiced by many countries that are affected by Iraq’s accession to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, soft power exercised by the United States of America, and soft power exercised by neighboring countries and other countries, so there may be difficulty in the possibility of embodying and applying it on the ground, and these challenges and obstacles can be summarized in the following points:

  • The challenge of geography and the existence of many alternatives, and this matter pushes China to choose alternatives, methods, and even other countries neighboring Iraq, especially since Iraq did not announce its accession to the initiative, as if there is international pressure not to join is intangible, but a reality practiced through a lot of evidence.
  • The challenge political, issue is not related to the geographical and economic aspects only, but politics and its challenges and the domination of the United States of America on the decision in Iraq, as well as many practices that prevent joining the initiative, all of which are graded by soft power, but some of them are hard to power.
  • Financial obstacles and challenges, as Iraq suffers from weak financial resources, which caused the cancellation or postponement of the implementation of some projects, which is expected due to the large size of mega projects and their high costs, the large FAO project as a model, and China, in light of this, exercised soft power on Iraq through agreements, providing loans and inviting Iraqi officials to see its experiences and various companies.
  • Security threats and the spread of the phenomenon of international terrorism, piracy, and organized crime, as well as disputes and international competition over participation in the Chinese initiative, and the suicide of the director of the crazy Korean company in the large FAO project in Iraq, is the best evidence of the security challenges, which pose a major and serious challenge to the protection of the completed infrastructure, knowing that providing military protection for these projects is difficult due to their magnitude.
  • Domestic challenges in Iraq with the blurring of the political, economic, and social scene, as there is chaos in statements about the reasons for not accelerating the implementation of the FAO corridor project important in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.
  • There are controversy and geopolitical obstacles, as there is an international competition for Iraq’s participation in China’s initiative, so do these countries allow the success of the implementation of the FAO project, which will affect Egypt, the Suez Canal, the ports of the United Arab Emirates, the ports of Kuwait and the ports of the Zionist entity, complex and intertwined economic relations that may not allow a wide role for Iraq in the initiative.
  • The Belt and Road Initiative is accompanied by many complex dual challenges, mainly the political conflict between major countries, the dispute over the sovereignty of territories and islands, and the political turmoil in the countries through which the Belt and Road project is going through.
  • Critics of the project believe that the silk project will set up debt traps for countries that benefit from loans granted by Chinese banks.

Third: Iraq and the gains from joining the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative

  • Increasing job opportunities in the countries participating in the initiative, which contributes to the unemployment rate that occurs in Iraq by 40%, especially in the southern governorates, and the data shows that the volume of job opportunities generated by the projects of the Chinese initiative in 2016 amounted to about 180 thousand new job opportunities, equivalent to 0.5% of the total new job opportunities that were created around the world from the same year, which amounted to about 40 job opportunities. [17]
  • Increasing economic growth in the non-oil sectors, and the initiative includes areas where poverty is high and levels of development are declining, so the success of the initiative will have positive effects in Iraq and contribute to the launch of progress and a high standard of living, especially in the cities of southern Iraq, and the evidence has turned China into the second largest major trade partner in the field of Chinese investments in Arab countries.
  • Achieving the process of international competition for the geographical location of Iraq between the United States of America and China, as the initiative is one of the strategies adopted by China in its foreign policy to increase its influence at the regional and international levels, although it is an economic initiative, its political, security and cultural dimensions emerge with the progress in the programmed projects and the interaction of countries with them.
  • Iraq’s accession to the Chinese initiative gives Iraq priority in oil imports from this country, especially since China imports 40% of Arab oil.
  • In general, the Chinese initiative led to positive and vital economic developments for the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in 2016, the volume of Chinese direct investment in Arab countries amounted to $ 29.5 billion, and in 2017, China signed contracts worth $ 33 billion, so the volume of trade between the Arab countries reached $ 191 billion, and this reality gives the argument and strength to the regime and the political class to accelerate the establishment of economic relations with China, and it is enough to argue that the United States does not allow the establishment of Iraq like this Relations, especially that the Gulf countries have stronger relations with the United States of America [18].
  • Since the launch of the initiative in 2013, investments in Egypt have increased by 55%, especially in the field of infrastructure enhancement, and a Chinese company has been working since 1998 to build the Suez Canal Economic Zone in Egypt, and this project is expected to achieve 25,000 jobs and attract Chinese investments worth $ 5 billion[19].
  • The Chinese government plans to build a highway linking a road to Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, and investments in Iraq are focused on the gas and oil sector, and it is clear that China is working to expand its oil networks, and that Iraq remains a major source of its imports.
  • The Chinese Belt Road is expected to increase total exports by 3 to 5 percent in most countries of the West Asia region and Egypt and by 5 percent in Iraq alone.
  • China imports about 8.4 million barrels per day, 3.9 million of which are GCC and Saudi Arabia has been the largest exporter, followed by Iraq, Oman, Iran, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. [20]
  • China is the largest energy importer in Iraq, which is why Iraq, as an oil producer, should seek to maintain privileged economic relations with a major energy importer and seek to benefit from China’s financial surpluses in diversifying its rentier economy.
  • China has launched the Belt and Road Energy Partnership with 17 countries including Sudan, Iraq, and Kuwait from the Arab region, promotes policy exchange and technology exchange programs, and launches bilateral and multilateral cooperation projects in the energy sector by holding energy ministerial conferences every two years, staff training and capacity building [21].

 

Fourth: Iraq and the search for its soft power to achieve political and economic reconciliation

 

  • The most important question we must ask is what did Iraqi governments, public government institutions, institutions interested in the interest of the country, in identifying, evaluating and improving the credentials of Iraq’s soft power, have they actually embarked at the starting point in using soft power measurement to diagnose the strength, sources and resources of strength and weakness in the state and its institutions, and this in turn helps governments to identify priorities to improve global reputation and direct a strategy for political, security and economic relations, knowing that Iraq with the beginning of change exercised hard power and not Soft, for example, giving an unreal idea of its economy and its export potential and production of crude oil, so is it reasonable for Iraq to export 12 million barrels per day when it is unable to export 4 million barrels, and this is a kind of hard power paid for by Iraq to this day and push others to antagonize and fight Iraq in many ways, including terrorism.
  • The wrong policy and the wrong method of using the media contributed to giving a contrary image of the Iraqi reality, so Iraq has been subjected since 2004 to a strong attack by terrorist organizations and jihadist groups, and difficult years paid by Iraq from its money and killed many of its sons because of this terrorism, and most of the reasons are competitive political and economic.
  • Three soft power gauges are available [22]:

A- Familiarity scale This is done by broadcasting a lot of accurate and correct information about the capabilities, resources, capabilities, and talents of the country concerned, and this will contribute to supporting the country’s soft power.

B- The scale of the trait, and for the state to become attractive and an example for others, its reputation must be strong and positive.

C- Impact scale, which is a direct measure of the presence and perceived impact of the country concerned, and whenever the country can give a positive image of its political, security, economic and social situation, soft power has a huge impact on the decisions of countries, companies, financial and investment institutions and investors, soft spout is a means of success for those who realize how it can be used.

  • Soft power goes by influences the choices of others through the power of attraction and persuasion possessed by one party to subjugate another party, and like any power, soft power has a positive impact on the state, which has its components and improves its employment, but the state may not have these ingredients to confront the soft power exposed to it from others, as Iraq was subjected to distortion of its image in international public opinion, and exposed to a media machine, some of which are locally linked to regional schemes And international and the other is linked to international projects as a scheme to change the map of the middle theft, and this resulted in submission to the culture of others, this media machine directed to the inside to influence the masses and directed abroad to influence international public opinion.
  • The impact of soft power exerted on Iraq is no less with direct war projects, as most of the countries that do not want Iraq to join the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and through its soft power portray Iraq to world opinion, as backward and which extremism, terrorism, chaos, institutional and developmental deficit and comprehensive civilizational and cultural decline, and part of that may be borne by Iraq, which did not use the nationalities of its soft power, whether the part thrown on governments or the part that is located on Did the Iraqi citizen give a positive impression in Europe, Asia, America and other parts of the world disciplined and positive behavior about the culture and civilization of a people through scientific, cultural, intellectual and tourism activities and conferences?
  • How can the procedures for respecting national sovereignty and obtaining public support to cooperate with the government to achieve permanent security and effective support for the demands of the people through the use of soft power means, as the emergence of a successful society culture and active participation in social, political and economic transformations can only be achieved by gaining the confidence of the population and their sense of the importance of their economic conditions and soft power makes the economic base a priority for everyone?

 

Conclusions

  • The reality of soft power in Iraq lacks the real resources of this power or it needs to reform the elements of its soft power to restore effectiveness and influence it at the local and international levels, as the institutions that support the world’s confidence in Iraq are still not complete (the rule of law, the protection of public rights and freedoms, non-compliance with the paragraphs of the constitution, the values of obedience, submission, loyalty and intolerance at the expense of the values of participation, equality, tolerance and recognition of the right to difference).
  • The weakness of the educational and educational institution, within which the relationship revolves around domination and obedience, and its role is almost limited in the development of the independent personality, and this is due to the sediments and influence of the political Baath Party, which created difficulty in finding institutions capable of raising new generations a civilized democratic education consistent with the aspirations of the stage, and the difficulty lies in finding an integrated project to produce institutions capable of advancing a new cultural-political project that succeeds in creating a political-cultural revolution that addresses error and establishes a more consistent cultural and cognitive structure. In harmony with the emerging democracy in the country.
  • China is heading strongly to become the largest trade empire in the world, competing with the West and the United States of America in this response, and even though soft power, despite the temptations of its slogans and the attractiveness of its tool, its results are no less than the consequences of the use of military force and economic pressure tools, so there is pressure for Iraq not to join the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.
  • China has many alternatives to choose sites outside Iraq’s geographical location and thus the lack of opportunities for Iraq to join the initiative, especially the lack of seriousness of successive Iraqi governments in the implementation of the FAO strategic project, and this may be due to US pressure and these pressures increased after 2003 because the policy of the United States is to thwart the project of building the national state and dismantling and rebuilding the state according to new standards controlled by sectarian and ethnic loyalties.
  • The United States of America is one of the most prominent obstacles that will hinder the implementation of Iraq’s participation in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, because the success of this project will increase the dominance of the Chinese dragon in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, and will lead to weakening the role and interests of the United States in the region and the world.
  • Some opinions and writings regarding the Chinese Belt and Road project may be realistic, which believe that the reality differs from what the initiative proposes, as if many of them are a propaganda strategy, so why what has been announced been spent on the infrastructure of many countries that are hoped to benefit from the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.
  • Iraq’s ambitions to participate widely in China’s comprehensive economic renaissance in Iraq may collide with weak political and security stability and the spread of corruption in state institutions, in addition to the escalating tension between Washington and Tehran, whose repercussions are reflected in the Iraqi arena.
  • We can note that the American strategy, through its employment of soft power, is very close to the strategy of the Zionist entity, which seeks and continues to weaken the Arab countries with their embodiments, whether they are the Arab ring countries, or the Arab depth countries, as the state of fragmentation has been achieved at the level of the national state so that the reality of the Arab countries is consistent with what the United States aspires to.

 

Recommendations

  • Work to exploit Iraq’s soft power in increasing national awareness on how to deal with international pressures for Iraq’s non-accession to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, and to formulate a national media strategy equipped and grafted with expertise from different disciplines, foremost of which is educating society and revealing falsity and defects in directed foreign media.
  • Affirming the existence of constitutional, legal, and moral guarantees through which they guarantee the right of all citizens to participate in decisions related to their lives and future, while monitoring and following up the implementation of these decisions, especially the issue of Iraq’s accession to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.
  • Since China does not set humanitarian or moral standards for granting financial loans, and since corruption eats away at state institutions and flourishes in wasting public money, these loans should go to giant income-generating projects.
  • Chinese capital does not hesitate to enter countries suffering from armed conflicts, and suffering from political and economic crises, and this money is not a charity, so Iraq’s participation in the Chinese initiative must be subject to the national interest.
  • Building the FAO project and participating in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative for the urgent need for this project to supplement the federal budget with the expected revenues from this project with the decline in revenues from the sale of crude oil.
  • In all cases, Iraq must prove its real intention to be a real partner in the Chinese initiative and a reliable partner in trade and investment with China, so it must achieve more integration, stability, and solidarity to form a reliable center for the initiative, especially since energy sources are declining due to the emergence of alternative sources, Iraq needs to enhance its importance by providing more efficient and advanced services that increase its position as a center for international trade and not by relying on its natural resources.

 

References

  • Joseph Nye, Soft Power, Obeikan Library, Amman, 2007.
  • Joseph Nye, The Concept of Soft Power, American Foreign Affairs, 1990.
  • Hussam El-Din, Soft Power and the Role in International Relations, Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Damascus, 2019
  • Hussein Elbatrawi, Belt and Road Initiative Challenges, Risks of Chinese Debt Contagion Overseas, at: arb.majaiIIAa.com
  • Hussein Elbatrawy, The Challenges of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Risks of Chinese Debt Contagion Overseas, at: arb.majaiIIAa.com
  • Salah Ali, The Belt, and Road Project, How China Connects its Economy to the Outside World, New Future Magazine, Issue 26, 2019.
  • Tariq Ahmed Shams, East on the Silk Road, A Historical, Geographical, Economic Study, 2017.
  • Silk Road: The Road of Civilizations, Dr. Hussein Abdel Basir, on the website WWW. AImsria aIday .com

 

  • The Silk Road, How China is silently reshaping the world, on the following website: aIjazeera.net.com.
  • Silk Road, Wikipedia, at: Wikipedia.Org/Wiki
  • Obstacles to China’s plan to revive the Silk Road, at the website: aIiazeera.net.news.
  • Ali Galal Moawad, The Concept of Soft Power and Foreign Policy Analysis, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Center for Strategic Studies, Egypt, 2019.
  • Ammar Sharaan, China Belt and Road Initiative, World Economic Century Project, Arab Democratic Center for Strategic, Political and Economic Studies, Berlin, Germany, 2019.
  • Karim Abu Halaweh, Smart Power Politics and its Role in International Relations, Damascus Center for Research and Studies, 2016.
  • What is the Silk Road, at mowdoo3 .com
  • Mohammed Al-Hamza, Saudi Soft Power, published on 29/10/2021, Arab Network for Science.
  • Discussions of the International Order and the Major Powers “Reflections on the New Global Geopolitical Theater”, a group of authors, edited by: Dr. Ali Bashar Agwan, “Dar Al-Rimal for Publishing and Distribution, Academics Company for Publishing and Distribution, Amman, Jordan, 2019.
  • Nidal Safi – the concept of soft power and how did it arise? What are the conditions of its development? How is it practiced? And where is his theater?  , London School of Political and Economic Science website, 2020.

 

. [1] Mohammed Al-Hamza, Saudi soft power, published on 29/10/2021, Arab Network for Science.

[2] .  Joseph Nye, Soft Power, Obeikan Library, Amman, 2007, p. 20.

[3] . Iyad Khalaf Omar Al-Kaoud, The Strategy of Soft Power and its Role in Implementing US Foreign Policy Goals in the Arab Region, Middle East House, Amman, 2018, p. 23.

[4] .  Ali Galal Moawad, The Concept of Soft Power and Foreign Policy Analysis, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Center for Strategic Studies, Egypt, 2019, pp. 35-39.

[5]A pure struggle,  the concept of soft power and how did it arise? What are the conditions of its development? How is it practiced? And where is his theater?  , London School of Political and Economic Science website, 2020, p. 12.

. [6] Joseph Nye, The Concept of Soft Power, Foreign Affairs Magazine, 1990, p. 57.

. [7] A pure struggle,  the concept of soft power and how did it arise? What are the conditions of its development? How is it practiced? And where is his theater?  , London School of Political and Economic Science website, 2020, p. 13.

[8] . Ali Galal Moawad, The Concept of Soft Power and Foreign Policy Analysis, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Center for Strategic Studies, Egypt, 2019, pp. 35-39.

[9] . Joseph Nye, Soft Power, Obeikan Library, Amman, 2007, p. 20.

[10] . Karim Abu Halaweh, Smart Power Politics and its Role in International Relations, Damascus Center for Research and Studies, 2016, p. 5.

[11] .  What is the Silk Road, at: mowdoo3 .com

[12] .  Silk Road, Wikipedia, on the following site: Wikipedia.Org/Wiki

. [13] .  Salah Ali, The Belt and Road Project, How China Connects its Economy to the Outside World, New Future Magazine, Issue 26, 2019, p. 34.

[14] .  Dr. Ammar Sharaan, Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, World Economic Century Project, Arab Democratic Center for Strategic, Political and Economic Studies, Berlin, Germany, 2019.

E-maiI;book@democraticac.de

[15].  Hussein Elbatrawy, The Challenges of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Risks of Chinese Debt Contagion Abroad, at:

WWW.arb.majaiIIAa.com

 

[16] .  The Silk Road, How China is silently reshaping the world, on the following website: Midan.aIjazeera.net.com.

 

[17]  .  Hussein Elbatrawy, The Challenges of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Risks of Chinese Debt Contagion Abroad, at:

WWW.arb.majaiIIAa.com

 

[18] .  Tariq Ahmed Shams, East on the Silk Road, A Historical, Geographical, Economic Study, 2017

 

[19] ISilk: The Way of Civilizations, Dr. Hussein Abdel Basir, on the website WWW. AImasria aI.com

[20] . Discussions of the  International Order and the Major Powers “Reflections on the New Global Geopolitical Theater”, a group of authors, edited by: Dr. Ali Bashar Agwan, “Dar Al-Rimal for Publishing and Distribution, Academics Company for Publishing and Distribution, Amman, Jordan, 2019, pp. 23-34.

[21] Hussein Elbatrawi, Belt and Road Initiative Challenges, Risks of Chinese Debt Contagion Overseas, at: WWW.arb.majaiIIAa.com

 

[22] . Hossam El-Din, Soft Power and the Role in International Relations, Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Damascus, 2019. p. 4.