The Soft Power Architecture
The UAE has invested more deliberately in soft power instruments than perhaps any other state of comparable size. This is not incidental to its foreign policy — it is a core pillar of it. For a nation with a citizen population of approximately one million governing a country of ten million, the ability to shape international perceptions, attract global talent, and influence normative frameworks is as strategically important as military capability. The UAE’s soft power strategy operates across multiple domains: climate and sustainability diplomacy, space exploration, cultural institutions, humanitarian aid, and the projection of a national brand built on modernity, tolerance, and innovation.
The creation of the Ministry of State for Happiness and Wellbeing, the National Strategy for Soft Power (launched in 2017), and the Global Soft Power Index — on which the UAE has consistently ranked as the leading Arab nation — reflect the institutional seriousness with which Abu Dhabi approaches non-coercive influence. This is soft power as strategic asset, systematically cultivated and deployed to advance national interests.
COP28 and Climate Diplomacy
The UAE’s hosting of COP28 in November-December 2023 was the most ambitious soft power initiative in the federation’s history. The decision to appoint Sultan Al Jaber — simultaneously CEO of ADNOC and chairman of Masdar, the state renewable energy company — as COP28 president was both strategic and controversial. It positioned the UAE as a bridge between hydrocarbon-producing and climate-vulnerable nations, while drawing criticism from environmental advocates who questioned the credibility of an oil executive leading global climate negotiations.
The COP28 outcome — including the first-ever reference to transitioning away from fossil fuels in a COP decision text — was framed by the UAE as a diplomatic achievement that balanced ambition with pragmatism. The conference attracted over 80,000 participants, secured commitments on climate finance, and advanced negotiations on loss and damage — providing the UAE with a platform to demonstrate its convening power and diplomatic capability on the world’s most consequential multilateral issue.
Beyond COP28, the UAE’s climate credentials are anchored in substantive investments. Masdar has developed renewable energy projects across multiple continents, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is among the world’s largest single-site solar installations, and the UAE was the first Gulf state to commit to a net-zero emissions target (by 2050). These investments provide tangible backing for the federation’s climate diplomacy and distinguish it from petrostate peers that engage in climate discourse without corresponding domestic action.
The Space Programme
The Emirates Mars Mission and the successful insertion of the Hope Probe into Martian orbit in February 2021 was a landmark in the UAE’s soft power strategy. The mission — developed in partnership with US universities but with Emirati engineers in lead roles — positioned the UAE as the first Arab nation and the fifth country globally to reach Mars. The symbolic power of this achievement was immense, projecting an image of technological capability and scientific ambition that transcended the federation’s association with hydrocarbon wealth and luxury tourism.
The space programme extends beyond Mars exploration. The Emirates Lunar Mission, satellite development capabilities, and the establishment of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre are building a sustained presence in space technology. The UAE’s selection as a partner in NASA’s Artemis Accords framework further embeds the federation in the institutional architecture of international space cooperation. For Abu Dhabi, the space programme serves a dual function: inspiring domestic youth toward STEM careers and projecting national capability to a global audience.
Cultural Institutions and Brand Diplomacy
The UAE’s cultural investments — headlined by the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the Sharjah literary and arts ecosystem — represent a long-term strategy to position the federation as a cultural crossroads between East and West. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, opened in 2017 under a thirty-year intergovernmental agreement with France, houses a collection designed to narrate universal human creativity across civilisations — a curatorial philosophy that aligns with the UAE’s self-image as a meeting point of cultures.
Dubai’s Expo 2020 (held in 2021-2022) drew over 24 million visitors and showcased the UAE’s ability to execute mega-events at global scale. The legacy infrastructure from Expo — repurposed as District 2071, a technology and innovation hub — demonstrates the federation’s approach to cultural investments as catalysts for long-term economic development rather than one-off spectacles.
Humanitarian Aid and Development Diplomacy
The UAE consistently ranks among the world’s largest per capita providers of official development assistance. Humanitarian aid — delivered through government agencies, sovereign wealth fund programmes, and semi-governmental entities — serves both altruistic and strategic purposes. Aid flows to the Horn of Africa, South Asia, and Pacific Island nations build diplomatic relationships, create economic interdependencies, and generate goodwill that supports the UAE’s positions in multilateral forums.
The targeted deployment of humanitarian and development aid to strategically important regions — particularly the Horn of Africa, where the UAE has commercial port investments and security interests — illustrates how soft power instruments are integrated with harder strategic objectives. This alignment of humanitarian action with geopolitical interest is not unique to the UAE, but the scale and intentionality of the federation’s approach is notable for a country of its size.
Risk Assessment
The primary risk to the UAE’s soft power strategy is a credibility gap between its projected image and its domestic and regional realities. International scrutiny of labour rights, press freedom, and political expression has the potential to undermine the narrative of modernity and tolerance that the soft power strategy promotes. The COP28 experience demonstrated both the opportunities and the vulnerabilities: hosting a major climate conference while being a major oil producer invited scrutiny that a less ambitious diplomatic programme would have avoided.
A secondary risk is soft power fatigue — the diminishing returns of successive mega-events, cultural partnerships, and branding initiatives if they are not anchored in substantive policy outcomes. The UAE’s credibility as a soft power actor depends on its ability to deliver on the commitments made through these platforms.
Strategic Outlook
The UAE’s soft power strategy is integral to the 2031 vision’s ambition to position the federation as a global reference point for governance innovation, sustainability, and cultural exchange. The investments in climate diplomacy, space exploration, and cultural infrastructure are not vanity projects — they are calculated instruments for building the international relationships, talent pipelines, and reputational capital that a small nation needs to sustain influence disproportionate to its size. The challenge is to maintain authenticity and substance beneath the branding, ensuring that the federation’s soft power projections are backed by domestic realities that can withstand increasing international scrutiny.