The UAE has secured the top regional spot among Middle Eastern nations in the 2025 Global Soft Power Index. The UAE has steadily climbed the rankings since the index’s inception in 2020, which evaluates all 193 UN member states based on topics such as familiarity, education, influence and other brand metrics.
The country’s strong reputation, international relations and trade policies have solidified its position as a global leader in soft power and the leading country in the Middle East. Our chart this week plots the global soft power index score against one of the Index's key performance indicators 'reputation'. The full methodology and breakdown of the score can be found on the BrandFinace site.
A key contributor to the UAE’s high ranking is its pro-business environment. The UAE's National Brand also significantly increased in value from $1 trillion to $1.22 trillion this year. The nation also ranks second globally for being ‘easy to do business in and with’ and features in the top 10 for ‘future growth potential’ and a ‘strong and stable economy.’ Fiscal resilience, a favourable investment climate, and continuing economic diversification efforts underpin these strengths.
While Middle Eastern nations have made progress in soft power, recent years have shown a slowdown, with many regional countries slipping in rankings. The UAE, however, remains the exception, holding on to its 10th-place position, bolstered by strong perceptions in business and trade, international relations, and overall Influence.
Global soft power leaders
The US retains its top position in the Global Soft Power Index, scoring 79.5 out of 100. Its leading indicators remain familiarity and influence and the top three soft power pillars: international relations, education and science, and media and communications. However, its overall score has stagnated due to internal political tensions and the recent polarising presidential campaign. Reflecting these challenges, the US’s reputation ranking has dropped to 15th globally, alongside declines in governance (10th) and people & values (36th).
Meanwhile, China has risen to second place with a score of 72.8, overtaking the UK for the first time. This improvement stems from strategic efforts to bolster its global image, including belt and road infrastructure projects, a focus on sustainable development, stronger product brands, and post-pandemic reopening initiatives. Significant gains across six of the eight soft power pillars have propelled China to its highest ranking.
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The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
Major matches on Manic Monday
Andy Murray (GBR) v Benoit Paire (FRA)
Grigor Dimitrov (BGR) v Roger Federer (SUI)
Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Gilles Muller (LUX)
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) Novak Djokovic (SRB)
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4
Second leg:
Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
The five pillars of Islam
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RESULTS
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
MATCH INFO
Everton 2 (Tosun 9', Doucoure 93')
Rotherham United 1 (Olosunde 56')
Man of the Match Olosunde (Rotherham)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
