‘Russia isn’t a country of Putins!’: How RT bridged the credibility gap in Russian public diplomacy during the 2018 FIFA World Cup

In the context of deteriorating relations with ‘Western’ states, Russia’s state-funded international broadcasters are often understood as malign propaganda rather than as agents of soft power. Subsequently, there is a major credibility gap between how Russian state media represents itself to the world and how it is actually perceived by overseas publics. However, based on the study of RT’s coverage of the Russian hosted FIFA 2018 World Cup and the audience reactions this prompted, we find that this credibility gap was partially bridged. By analysing over 700 articles published by RT, alongside social media and focus group research, we find that RT’s World Cup coverage created an unusually positive vision of Russia that appealed to international audiences. Our study demonstrates how state-funded international broadcaster coverage of sports mega-events can generate a soft power effect with audiences, even when the host state – such as Russia – has a poor international reputation.

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Understanding the Mood of International Millennials Towards India

Advances in Marketing, Customer Relationship Management, and E-Services - Optimizing Millennial Consumer Engagement With Mood Analysis ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-5690-9.ch002 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 19-42

Author(s):

Soumik Parida

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Soft Power ◽

Nation Branding ◽

Cultural Groups ◽

Power Study ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Indian Cinema ◽

Group Research ◽

Different Cultures

This chapter explores what triggers international millennials moods in relation to India and its cultural attributes. The theoretical undertaking related to nation branding and soft power study was used as a basis for this research. In the light of the discussion carried out in the chapter, key Indian cultural attributes were briefly discussed. The major cultural attributes extensively discussed during this research were related to Indian cinema, Indian cuisine, religion, spirituality, and yoga. Twenty-two international millennials belonging to four different cultural groups were selected for the focus group research. Their perceptions about India brought out interesting insights in understanding how to promote India among different cultures.

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Sport and diplomacy

10.7228/manchester/9781526131058.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Keyword(s):

Soft Power ◽

Public Diplomacy ◽

Olympic Games ◽

First Century ◽

World Cup ◽

Global Game ◽

Ping Pong ◽

Wide Range ◽

Sport Events ◽

Global Affairs

The purpose of this book is to critically enhance the appreciation of Diplomacy and Sport in global affairs from the perspective of practitioners and scholars. The book will make an important new contribution to at least two distinct fields: Diplomacy and Sport, as well as to those concerned with History, Politics, Sociology, and International Relations. The critical analysis the book provides explores the linkages across these fields, particularly in relation to Soft Power and Public Diplomacy, and is supported by a wide range of sources and methodologies. The book draws in a range of scholars across these different fields, and includes esteemed FIFA scholar Prof. Alan Tomlinson. Tomlinson addresses diplomacy within the world’s global game of Association Football, while other subjects include the rise of Mega Sport Events (MSE) as sites of diplomacy, new consideration of Chinese Ping-Pong Diplomacy prior to the 1970s, the importance of boycotts in sport – particularly in relation to newly explored dimensions of the boycotts of the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games. The place of non-state actors is explored throughout, be they individual or institutions they perform a crucial role as conduits of the transactions of sport and diplomacy Based on twentieth and twenty-first century evidence, the book acknowledges the antecedents from the ancient Olympics to the contemporary era and in its conclusions offers avenues for further study based on the future Sport and Diplomacy relationship. The book has strong international basis because it covers a broad range of countries, their diplomatic relationship with sport and is written by a truly transnational cast of authors. The intense media scrutiny on the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, and other international sports will also contribute to the global interest in this volume.

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Sports mega-events, soft power and soft disempowerment: international supporters’ perspectives on Qatar’s acquisition of the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals

International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics ◽

10.1080/19406940.2016.1150868 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 173-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Paul Michael Brannagan ◽

Joel Rookwood

Keyword(s):

Soft Power ◽

World Cup ◽

Fifa World Cup ◽

Mega Events

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The role of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in forming Russia’s image

Moscow State University Bulletin Series 18 Sociology and Political Science ◽

10.24290/1029-3736-2020-26-3-106-126 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 106-126

Author(s):

V. V. Kochetkov

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Sample Population ◽

Sporting Events ◽

World Cup ◽

Positive Role ◽

Fifa World Cup ◽

Russian State ◽

Foreign Media ◽

Google Search

This paper is devoted to the study of the role international sporting events in forming image of state. The goal of research is to study the role of the FIFA World Cup in forming Russia’s image. The front-end content analysis is used, which is focused on drawing up the most detailed idea of the information Vow over a certain period in order to identify meaningful dynamics and is of an applied nature. The physical unit of content analysis was the article number (release date), and the text publication was the unit of analysis. Texts for processing were searched in English using a Google search for the period from May 1, 2018 to August 1, 2018. Ne articles should simultaneously contain the words “Russia” and “World cup”. In a generalized form, the search query looked like this: site: [publication site] Russia and World cup. Ne sample population includes the most popular Google search queries. Articles containing only a summary of sports indicators were excluded from the texts found, since the research objectives were satisfied with articles affecting the social, political and economic aspects of the 2018 World Cup. The information priorities of different foreign media are different. For the American and British media, it is important, in particular, to respect human rights in Russia, and for the Chinese media, the opportunity to profit from the supply of our own products. However, after the end of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, negative rhetoric gave way to positive. Ne results of the study indicate the positive role of the 2018 World Cup in shaping the image of the Russian state.

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South Africa’s Engagement in Sports Diplomacy: The Successful Hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

The Hague Journal of Diplomacy ◽

10.1163/1871191x-12341265 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (3-4) ◽

pp. 197-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andreia Soares e Castro

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Foreign Policy ◽

South African ◽

Soft Power ◽

African Continent ◽

World Cup ◽

Fifa World Cup ◽

Mega Events ◽

Sports Diplomacy ◽

Policy Goals

Summary This article begins by recognizing the importance of sport in South African history, before turning to South Africa’s vision and strategy, as articulated around and beyond the successful hosting of mega-events, particularly the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first World Cup to be held on the African continent. The article suggests that mega-events are an important stage and priority of a broader and longer-term strategy of enhancing South Africa’s soft power, prestige and visibility. In this context, sport and mega-events are important foreign policy tools and have greatly benefited South Africa, the African continent and the international relations system. Using South Africa as a case study, this article explores the concept of sports diplomacy — that is, the use of sports as an instrument for furthering foreign policy goals, causes or interests — and argues that it is a significant and a rising source of soft power.

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Top Bins: An Exploration of Qatar’s Use of Sport and Capital to Strengthen Diplomatic Visibility

Athens Journal of Sports ◽

10.30958/ajspo.8-4-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 271-278

Author(s):

Anay Katyal

Keyword(s):

Working Class ◽

Soft Power ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Global Competition ◽

Clear Understanding ◽

Cultural Industries ◽

World Cup ◽

Fifa World Cup ◽

Sporting Culture ◽

New Frontier

Globalization has given new life to previously benign leisures and vices, allowing states and their respective cultural industries to export (and import) their agenda and visibility. Cultural industries have long played an important role in exercising soft power, and the advent of new communication technologies and newfound spending power amongst the world’s working class has only strengthened and opened opportunities on this front. Sports, particularly ones that translate well to global competition, have become a new frontier for states to leverage assets and wealth to construct more prominent messaging surrounding their larger diplomatic work around the globe. By examining Qatari investment in football, track & field, and other international sports — especially through vehicles like the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Qatar Investment Authority, Aspire Academy, Paris Saint-Germain, etc. — we are offered a clear understanding as to how Qatar uses its wealth to exploit the global cultural marketplace and entrench itself as an important component of global sporting culture, and the diplomatic utility they aim to reap with such investments. Keywords: Qatar, FIFA, diplomacy, football, capital

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Tweeting the Russian revolution: RT’s #1917LIVE and social media re-enactments as public diplomacy

European Journal of Cultural Studies ◽

10.1177/1367549419871353 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 354-373 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Rhys Crilley ◽

Marie Gillespie ◽

Alistair Willis

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

News Media ◽

Soft Power ◽

Public Diplomacy ◽

Russian Revolution ◽

The Political ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Short Term ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Russian State

Throughout 2017, the Russian state broadcaster, RT (formerly Russia Today), commemorated the centenary of the 1917 revolution with a social media re-enactment. Centred on Twitter, the 1917LIVE project involved over 90 revolution-era characters tweeting in real time as if the 1917 revolution was happening live on social media. This article is based on an analysis of a sample of tweets by users who engaged with 1917LIVE, alongside focus group discussions with its followers. We argue that a cultural studies perspective can shed important light on the political significance of RT’s social media re-enactment in ways that current studies of public diplomacy as a soft power resource often fail to do. It can advance soft power theory by offering a more nuanced, dynamic analysis of how state media mobilise, and how audiences engage with, social media re-enactments as commemorative events. We find that rather than promoting a unitary propagandistic narrative about Russia, 1917LIVE served instead to soften attitudes towards RT itself – encouraging audiences to view RT as an educator and entertainer as well as a news broadcaster – normalising its presence as a Russian public diplomacy resource in the international news media landscape. Our analysis of audience interactions with and interpretations of 1917LIVE affords insights into how the 1917 re-enactment worked as didactic entertainment eliciting affective identification with the characters of the revolution. Such public diplomacy projects contribute in the short term to a strengthening of the engagement required to create longer-term soft power effects.

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Sport and International Relations: Qatari Soft Power and Foreign Policy Making

تجسير ◽

10.29117/tis.2021.0073 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 145-170

Author(s):

Noof Al-Dosari

Keyword(s):

Foreign Policy ◽

International Relations ◽

Soft Power ◽

Political Identity ◽

World Cup ◽

Fifa World Cup ◽

Sports Diplomacy ◽

Sports Events ◽

Policy Goals ◽

Realist Analysis

Sport plays a significant role in politics and international relations. However, the relationship between soft power and hosting a sports mega-event such as the Olympic Games, or the FIFA world cup is unclear. Most literature that has examined the role of sport in Qatari soft power adheres to the Realist School of international relations theory. It has tended to emphasize the size of the country in understanding what motivates its engagement in sports diplomacy. This paper attempts to move beyond this realist analysis of soft power by drawing on the post-structuralist –interpretive approach and discourse theory. This perspective better accounts for how sports diplomacy is used in different cultural contexts. In arguing that Qatar represents particular cultural and historical traditions, and sports define the country’s distinct political identity, the paper looks at how Qatar has exercised soft power through sports diplomacy and hosting major international sports events. The paper will analyze formal state discourses surrounding Qatar’s decision to host FIFA World Cup 2022, and we discuss how this use of sports diplomacy is helping achieve several Qatari foreign policy goals.

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