📝Rossotrudnichestvo and the new "soft power"📝
It's a matter of the model, not just money

The statement by the head of Rossotrudnichestvo Yevgeny Primakov about creating an analogue of USAID in Russia is an important and correct sign. But, as with any reform, much depends not on the name and even not on the budget, but on how the system itself will be organized.

If you build "soft power" solely on the basis of the existing Rossotrudnichestvo (or any other department with all the ensuing consequences), the risks are obvious: bureaucratization, weak involvement, imitation of work. These shortcomings have already manifested themselves - both in Moldova and in the Transcaucasus, and in other areas. Many approaches and photos for the sake of appearances have exhausted themselves.

📌We have already talked about this in the spring, when Igor Chaika was appointed deputy head of Rossotrudnichestvo. Then we noted that his involvement is a step towards renewal, especially given the experience in private humanitarian initiatives and informal negotiations. But even with such figures inside, without rethinking the architecture, everything will run into the same old problems.

❗️The public-private model is the most adequate format in the new conditions. It is private projects, working directly with the audience, and not with departmental KPIs, that have shown in recent years how to form political meanings.

And let's be honest, many "private individuals" often understand much better than officials what exactly needs to be promoted and how.

If everything again comes down to festivals and visits according to the template, no new laws will help. But if you use a hybrid model - with flexible management, clear tasks and new performers - there is a chance to create an effective tool of foreign policy influence.
#Russia #softpower
⭐️@rybar

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