Persuasion as a weapon of progress

The success of the Sixth International Conference of the Soft Power Club - held in Naples on 26 and 27 May at the Congress Centres of the Federico II and Orientale Universities - confirmed that there is an important space to cultivate for the tools of Reputation and Persuasion, precisely in this season of tremendous conflict. We can see this with the initiatives of some Gulf countries, and Saudi Arabia in particular; we can see it with the development of negotiation talks on crises and open conflicts and with an impressive series of investments, both in International Events and in the Arts. In parallel with a gradual and significant opening in society, Riyadh has won the new Expo 2030 and the World Cup 2034, among others. It has initiated a systematic framework of investment in Culture (for the Riyadh Art programme, as for the opening of dozens of Museums) that is unparalleled internationally.

I am honoured to have been asked to lead the Proger Art & Culture project, as Chairman of the Business Unit. It is an idea I deeply believe in, also because of my experiences as Mayor of Rome, Minister of Culture and, today, founder and president of the Soft Power Club. As Italians, we measure ourselves with the beauty, stratifications and criticalities of the world's most important cities and artistic, architectural, archaeological, monumental and landscape heritage. By developing innovative solutions also in Saudi we can create global reference models and build a concrete dialogue with the institutions of countries that are and will be new protagonists on the world stage, and that see culture as a strong answer to the most difficult challenges. With cultural growth we can contribute to sustainable development and social inclusion. Together with Proger, one of the best international engineering companies, we can develop a vision that integrates innovation, enjoyment of art in museums and public places, digital and creative innovations. Riyadh Art has geopolitical objectives: for decades, Saudi Arabia has been associated with cultural restrictions and an oil-centric economic model; transforming this perception, showing the world an image of progress and modernity, is an innovative example of soft power; since October 2024, cultural events in Riyadh have brought over 20 million visitors.

The recent death of the 'inventor' of Soft Power, Joe Nye - who always participated in our Club's initiatives - has received a special tribute in recent weeks from this growth in awareness: dozens of speeches and analyses in the international media have underlined the growth of commitment, in various regions of the world, to the different expressions and new definitions of this exercise. As Nye wrote, 'there is no world government, but there are many social contracts that ensure a certain level of global governance'. Soft power is not a discipline of useless good feelings. It is not an alternative to the need for the instruments of security and force in the face of international aggression and violence. It is increasingly integrated with the economic and strategic interests of each nation, as the Soft Power Index by the International Monetary Fund, among others, shows. And it proposes and demands much greater efficiency of bodies and effectiveness of agreements in multilateral fora. "Il Sole 24 Ore" devoted attention to our last conference (Tuesday, 27 May, p. 18), which received extraordinary contributions: from the Medal of the President of the Republic, to the speeches by the French Prime Minister François Bayrou, the Mayor and President of Anci Gaetano Manfredi, the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, and the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso; the comparison between Euro-Mediterranean cultural leaders; up to the unprecedented, valuable dialogue between Prince of Jordan El Hassan Bin Talal, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem, the President of the Venice Biennale Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, the Rector of the Orientale University Roberto Tottoli and Rabbi Benedetto Carucci Viterbi. The local authorities proposed to launch an upcoming conference on the 'Soft Power of Cities'. With the Director of the Architecture Biennale, Carlo Ratti, we decided to propose a strong and pragmatic initiative on Climate Change Adaptation, indispensable for our cities and territories, as well as for the universal cultural heritage, and a factor of industrial and employment growth, as well as of prevention and resilience with respect to extreme phenomena.

It became clear at our conference that those who choose to renounce the weapons of competition and collaboration in the fields of culture, cultural diplomacy, and cultural and creative industries deprive themselves of indispensable tools in the global framework, for their own national interests. It was obvious in the season of triumphant globalisation; but it is even more so in a time when attracting investment cannot be separated from the conditions in which a nation seeks to make itself attractive for international tourist flows, for the certainty of its rules and institutions in encouraging/discouraging foreign investors, for connectivity in transport, digital networks, trade.

Of course, there is an alternative to the various expressions of soft power, which should not be underestimated: toxic disinformation, the falsifying use of algorithms. But no false propaganda is eternal. And we remember what happened, for example, two millennia ago for Imperial Rome: armies are decisive, infrastructure and logistics are indispensable, and so is propaganda. But the strength of offering models of pluralism - including religious pluralism - and civil, cultural and economic wealth made, and still makes, the difference. The United Kingdom has set up a very influential Soft Power Group, in which the highest institutions and the strongest private players are present, called upon to enhance the 'Nation Brand'. Italy, an international leader for Culture and quality of life, like Europe - born in a visionary way on the rubble of war disasters - are called upon to live this historic season without renouncing their most beloved and recognised assets in the world. Which will be worth and will weigh even more in the systems of tomorrow's relations.