The Impact of Digital Cultural Diplomacy on Security and Global Affairs: the UAE as a Case study

The concept of digital cultural diplomacy is an evolved form of public diplomacy and a manifestation of soft power. Under the canopy of cultural diplomacy various activities are performed, including diverse art exhibitions, student exchange programs and scholarships, language trainings, museum exchanges and cooperation, culinary and folklore events. In the digital era, cultural diplomacy has been heightening, and soft power is extremely important. Digital cultural diplomacy allows any country to place itself in the global arena with a certain branding, which in turn helps the country achieve its foreign policy goals. The use of social media, and internet in general, has proven to be the most important factor regarding the influence of the target audience. Digital cultural diplomacy is used to strengthen diplomatic relations and build alliances. It allows for greater access to knowledge and information and uses effective means of communication among individuals and organizations. The use of digital cultural diplomacy can reduce financial costs and thus achieve the same goals in a much more efficient way. The necessity of digital cultural diplomacy was fully grasped during the Covid-19 pandemic, where lockdowns made face-to-face encounters and physical exchange impossible. Cultural digital diplomacy has been particularly effective in the UAE. The core values of peace, cooperation and tolerance have been portrayed via digital diplomacy but there is still room for improvement. In this paper seeks to examine the prospects and benefits but also the risks and limitations of cultural digital diplomacy and to provide concrete policy recommendations for the UAE and also other countries in the region that might wish to emulate the example of the UAE.