Europe relies on culture for a new soft power

Europe is today faced with a geopolitical challenge unprecedented since the post-World War II period. The very rapid evolution towards a new multipolar world order, characterised by growing geopolitical tensions and a profound questioning of the very foundations of the economic globalisation of recent decades, is forcing our continent to radically rethink its strategic priorities. European rearmament, now unavoidable, is a necessary but not sufficient response to guarantee Europe's geopolitical relevance in future scenarios. In this context, the role of soft power, and of culture in particular, takes on a strategic dimension that currently seems to be dangerously underestimated.

The United States' decision to radically and immediately dismantle its soft power strategy, built with constancy and continuity over the previous decades, marks an epochal change in the global projection of American power. The closure of international cooperation and aid programmes, together with the increasing pressure on universities and research institutes, is rapidly eroding the capacity for attraction and cultural influence that has been one of the fundamental pillars of American supremacy. This progressive retreat opens up spaces that other global players are already trying to occupy with aggressive and well-financed strategies.

In the new geopolitical chessboard, not only new military and economic alliances are being redefined, but also new spheres of cultural influence. Countries such as China, which has launched cultural cooperation programmes on a global scale, or Saudi Arabia, which invests heavily in the creation of new cultural hubs, are showing a clear understanding of the strategic value of culture as an instrument of soft power. Turkey, for its part, has launched an ambitious strategy of cultural projection towards the Balkans, the Middle East and Central Asia, in a sophisticated attempt to reconstruct a post-Ottoman sphere of influence.

In this scenario, Europe cannot afford to sacrifice its cultural projection on the basis of a short-sighted logic of cost containment. On the contrary, precisely because European rearmament is aimed at deterrence and not aggression, it must be supported by a renewed and more incisive soft power strategy that can open new channels of intercultural dialogue, giving Europe a more solid centrality in the new world order. History teaches us that investment in defence-related technologies has always generated a strong impulse for innovation, but this impulse must be guided by a vision that goes far beyond the mere military dimension.

The investment in culture, which from a financial point of view is negligible compared to the budgets earmarked for rearmament, can generate an enormous strategic return if it is guided by a clear strategy of cultural diplomacy. This is therefore the time to increase, rather than reduce, spending on culture, with a view to a more effective projection of European soft power. To be truly effective, however, this strategy must go beyond the traditional Euro-centric approach and open up to a genuine dialogue with the world's other cultures, particularly with those geographical areas that will play a decisive role in the geopolitical balances of the coming decades.