Abstract
This study examines how information technology and mass communication outlets have been employed as soft power platforms in the Middle East in the aftermath of 9/11/2001. The focus is on Internet access and mobile phone subscriptions to see how their proliferation has impacted government effectiveness and political stability in MENA nations from 2004 to 2014. The analysis is centred in the context of increased American investment in soft power programs in the region with the goal of reducing instability and anti-Western sentiments. We examine the nature of such investment in relation to information technology dependence. Understanding that the necessary technology is a product of Western-centric multinationals, we study the interplay between imports, foreign aid and foreign direct investment (FDI), as direct metrics of foreign capital intensity and our explanatory variables—Internet and mobile technology usage rates. The results suggest that information technology platforms contribute to improved governance, while foreign aid has a negative impact. We further examine if increased government effectiveness and stability attracted FDI, as a representation for a positive outcome of improved governance, and find that such governmental efficacy was a successful predictor of foreign direct investment growth, while political stability was not. This article is published as part of a collection on soft power.
Highlights
For decades the relationship between the American and Middle Eastern governments has been strained and often complicated (Tillman, 1982; McAlister, 2005; Little, 2008)
Showing that information technology is largely imported by Middle Eastern nations, we look at the channels for its acquisition by including imports, foreign direct investment (FDI) and net official development assistance (ODA) as control variables
In our 2015 work29 we first show that economic indicators can be employed, those representing the spread of foreign assets into a country
Summary
For decades the relationship between the American and Middle Eastern governments has been strained and often complicated (Tillman, 1982; McAlister, 2005; Little, 2008). Verčič (2008) posits that as the costs of aggression and coercion grow, soft power becomes a desirable alternative in conflict resolution. Soft power refers to reliance on the charismatic allure of culture, emphasizing shared values and other persuasive modes of appeal to induce beneficial exchanges that reduce enmity (Nye, 1990). Such persuasive modes of appeal are subject to transmission. This research tracks how American soft power initiatives have been deployed in the Middle East with the proliferation of recent information technology innovations
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