Soft power of non-state actors in world politics: The case of Aga Khan IV and his institutions
The article studies the specifics of the formation of soft power of non-state actors (NSAs) in world politics. The authors argue that contemporary research discourse on soft power mainly focuses on the experience and potential of states for which the soft power component complementary to the resources of hard power is another tool for projecting influence on the international arena. Though scholars recognize that NSAs possess similar resources, this phenomenon does not attract regular academic interest. The aim of the article is to analyze the sources, potential and options of practical application of soft power by NSAs in modern world politics. The main results of the conducted study are as follows. Firstly, the authors have shown that some NSAs' range of tools for influencing the world politics can be viewed within the line, dichotomous and specific to states, of soft power and hard power. Secondly, the authors have revealed that despite the fact that many NSAs utilize various combinations of soft and hard power resources, such a binary model's capacity for them is often limited in time and space. What ensures NSAs' sustainable influence in world politics is their exclusive reliance on soft power resources. Thirdly, the authors have established that NSAs, working in the social and humanitarian sphere, have a significant soft power potential which is largely formed by the nature of the values they promote, the international community's recognition of their activity and the level of trust in them. As a case study, the authors analyze the activity of Aga Khan IV, the head of the Ismaili community, and the humanitarian institutions personally led by him. The study proves that Aga Khan IV's soft power derives not only from considerable human support within adherents of Ismailism, but also from the focus on high principles of humanity, diverse formats of practical activity, and growing international recognition. These factors allow Aga Khan IV to overcome the constraints that individual actors of world politics usually face while projecting international influence and enhancing soft power.
Keywords
soft power of non-state actors,
Aga Khan IV,
Aga Khan Development NetworkAuthors
| Bahriev Bahri Kh. | MGIMO University | mr.bahriev29@gmail.com |
| Borishpolets Ksenia P. | MGIMO University | oksabor@mgimo.ru |
Всего: 2
References
Nye S.J. Soft Power. The Means to Success in World Politics. New York : Public Affairs, 2004. 191 p.
Nye J. The Rising Power of NGO's // Project Syndicate. 2004. June 24. URL: https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-rising-power-of-ngo-s-2004-06 (accessed: 30.03.2022).
Лебедева М.М. «Мягкая сила»: понятие и подходы // Вестник МГИМО-Университета. 2017. № 3 (54). C. 212-223.
Non-state Actors: Impact on International Relations and Implications for the US // National Intelligence Council. 2007. URL: https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/nonstate _actors_2007.pdf (accessed: 12.03.2022).
Филин Н.А., Пилоян М.Г. Аятолла Али Систани: новые возможности старой школы шиитского религиозного наставничества // Власть. 2015. № 2. С. 133-137.
Цыганков П.А. Негосударственные участники мировой политики // Обозреватель. 2013. № 9. С. 5-17.
Chong A. Foreign Policy in Global Information Space: Actualising Soft Power. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. 240 p.
Treverton G.F., Jones S.G. Measuring National Power. Santa Monica, CA : RAND Corporation, 2005. URL: https://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF215.html (accessed: 30.03.2022).
Nye J. China's Soft Power Deficit // The Wall Street Journal. 2012. May 8. URL: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304451104577389923098678842 (accessed: 04.04.2022).
Chong A. Non-State Actors and Soft Power // Non-State Actors in International Law / ed. by M. Noortmann, A. Reinisch, C. Ryngaert. Oxford : Hart Publishing, 2015. P. 323-344.
Манойло А. «Мягкая сила» террористов // Россия и мусульманский мир. 2017. № 3 (297). C. 137-149.
Rosenau J. Turbulence in World Politics. A Theory of Change and Continuity. Princeton : Princeton University Press, 1990. 504 p.
Баталов Э.Я. Антропология международных отношений. М. : Аспект Пресс, 2018. 352 c.
Катаев Д.С., Фельдман Д.М. Человек в науке о мировой политике // Вестник МГИМО-Университета. 2010. № 6 (15). C. 102-107.
Кузнецов А.М. Человек в международных отношениях: дань времени или необходимая трансформация парадигмы? // Политическая концептология. 2013. № 2. C. 218-229.
Примаков Е.М. Встречи на перекрестках. М. : Центрполиграф, 2015. 624 c.
Мирзаян Г., Скорик П. Давать удочки, а не рыбу // Эксперт. № 34 (671). URL: http://expert.ru/expert/2009/34/davat_udochki_a_ne_rybu/ (дата обращения: 06.04.2022).
Бухари-заде Н. 1995-2015: Его Высочество Ага Хан IV и его таджикские единоверцы // ИА «Фергана». 2015. 26 мая. URL: http://www.fergananews.com/articles/8559 (дата обращения: 04.04.2022).
His Highness the Aga Khan's Awards & Honours. URL: https://the.ismaili/his-highness-aga-khans-awards-honours (accessed: 04.04.2022).
Mohammad Poor D. Authority without Territory: The Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili Imamate. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. 258 p.
The Ismaili Imamat and its Institutional Capacity // The Institute of Ismaili Studies. 2007. July. URL: https://prod-static-iis.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/ismailiimamat_logo-861685442.pdf (accessed: 04.04.2022).
The Constitution of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. URL: http://ismaili.net/source/legal-documents/1998-ismaili-constitution.pdf_(accessed: 04.04.2022).
About AKDN. URL: www.akdn.org/ (accessed: 04.04.2022).
Interview with Aga Khan: “Islam Is a Faith of Reason” // Spiegel. 2006. October 12. URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/spiegel-interview-with-aga-khan-islam-is-a-faith-of-reason-a-442180.html (accessed: 04.04.2022).
Address to both Houses of the Parliament of Canada in the House of Commons Chamber. 27 February 2014. URL: http://www.akdn.org/speech/his-highness-aga-khan/address-both-houses-parliament-canada-house-commons-chamber (accessed: 04.04.2022).
Aga Khan Development Network: an Ethical Framework // Institute of Ismaili Studies. London, 2000. URL: www.akdn.org/sites/akdn/files/me-dia/documents/various_pdf_documents/akdn_ethical_framework.pdf (accessed: 04.04.2022).
Karim K.H. Muslim Migration, Institutional Development, and the Geographic Imagination: The Aga Khan Development Network's Global Transnationalism // Transnational Europe: Promise, Paradox, Limits / ed. by J. De Bardeleben, A. Hurrelmann. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. P. 205-221.
Lakhani A.M. Faith and Ethics: The Vision of the Ismaili Imamat. London ; New York : I.B. Tauris, 2018. 272 p.
Seat of the Ismaili Imamat: Portugal - the capital of enlightened and peaceful Islam? // Ismailimail.wordpress.com. 2017. July 18. URL: https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2017/07/18/seat-of-the-ismaili-imamat-portugal-the-capital-of-enlightened-and-peaceful-islam/(accessed: 04.04.2022).
Agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat on the Establishment of the Seat of the Ismaili Imamat in Portugal. URL: https://simerg.com/2015/08/03/the-seat-of-imamat-text-of-the-historic-agreement-between-the-portuguese-republic-and-the-ismaili-imamat/(accessed: 04.04.2022).
Плеханов С. Ага Хан IV: «Я верю в основополагающие человеческие ценности..» // Обозреватель. 2009. № 2. C. 118-126.
Крючков И. Россия отдала Хану должное // Газета.ру. 2017. 20 апр. URL: https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2017/04/20_a_10636367.shtml (дата обращения: 05.04.2022).
AKDN and Education. URL: http://www.akdn.org/what-we-do/education (accessed: 04.04.2022).
Бахриев Б. Х. Центральноазиатское направление социально-гуманитарной деятельности негосударственных акторов (на примере Организации Ага Хана по развитию) // Известия Уральского федерального университета. Сер. 3. Общественные науки. 2019. Т. 14, № 2 (188). С. 140-152.
Kaplan S. Why You Haven't Heard of the Aga Khan // Mediafiled. 2016. Sept. 19. URL: http://www.mediafiledc.com/havent-heard-aga-khan/ (accessed: 02.04.2022).
