Education as a Soft Power Tool: Saudi’s Approach as Public Diplomacy

Education as a soft power resource: A systematic review

“…Aparecido & Schettini [ 38 ] in their research on Brazil's education system found that universities are monitoring and taking note of the political and economic environments of the nations they choose to open their offices in, particularly, in regards to components seen as externalizations of soft power. Similarly, Saudi Arabia has also established many institutes and schools in other countries as a form of soft power in order to spread Islamic culture around the world [ 39 ].…”

“…Later, the scholarship programme was restructured and institutionalized with the establishment of a regulatory body called the China Scholarship Council (CSC), under the aegis of the Chinese Ministry of Education in 1997 [ 58 ]. The participants of this programme are primarily from African and Asian countries who move to China for educational purposes [ 39 , 52 ].…”

“…Saudi Arabia. Similarly, Alzubaidi et al [ 39 ], has analyzed education as a soft power in Saudi Arabia's foreign policy. Saudi Arabia has established many institutes and schools outside its territory and sending Saudi students to other countries with multiple objectives such as to spread Islamic culture around the world, create opportunities to establish Saudi businesses in other countries, construct the favorable image of Saudi in the eyes of the governments and public, attract people to religious tourism, establish strong foundations for future projects, and to attract international investment to Saudi Arabia [ 39 ].…”