Comparative Analysis of American and Russian Types of Soft Power in the Arab Region On the Example of the Kingdom of Morocco

The article is devoted to the study of American and Russian types of soft power in the Arab world using the example of the Kingdom of Morocco. Introducing the concept of "soft power" in political science, American political scientist Joseph Nye filled this term with the liberal values such as democracy, freedom of speech, individualism, secularism, and so on. However, the concept of soft power is more of a socially constructed concept than a Western liberal one, since soft power is based on attractiveness, and the values and ideas themselves that can attract are not identical throughout the world. For example, Russian soft power consists of such values as respect for the feelings of believers, a ban on LGBT propaganda, and anti-colonialism. The author concludes that liberal ideas that form the soft power of the United States do not find support in Moroccan society, where the values of social harmony and religion are put at the forefront. Also, American educational institutions often ignore the needs of Moroccan society, as many of them do not teach Islamic and Arabic studies, which are the cornerstone of Moroccan society. In addition, Washington's constant support for the state of Israel in the conflict with Palestine also causes disappointment among Moroccans. Compared with the American model of soft power, the Russian type of soft power seems attractive to Moroccans due to the protection of religious feelings, traditional relations, family values, and support for the recognition of the state of Palestine. In conducting the study, the authors used standardized individual interview methods to obtain and analyze information and basic data. In addition, control interviews were conducted to clarify the information. The comparative analysis method was used to study the information and summarize the main conclusions of the article.