The expected role of culture in international relations

I have often returned to reflect on the ideas contained in the book “The Spirit of Lights” by Tzvetan Todorov, one of the most prominent European thinkers keen on criticizing European thought and revising its perceptions on contemporary world issues, and what was always ringing in my memory was that critical voice that believes that the West A traitor to the “age of lights.” The totalitarian and colonial regimes that sprang from it could not have been the product of the spirit of that era, so where are the values ​​of justice, freedom, tolerance and acceptance of the other?!

Those values ​​that Voltaire, Montesquieu, Diderot and other thinkers proclaimed, and where is the enlightenment culture that was supposed to establish tolerant international relations between nations?

Are the effects of the deviations of this culture still present in our contemporary cultural discourse, which claims respect for cultures, while in its name, cultures dominate at the expense of others?

I have breathed the air of the world’s cultures, so I researched and respected the cultural characteristics of peoples, and was inspired by what Jean-Jacques Rousseau said: “If one wants to study people, one must look close to him, but to study man he must set his sight far, and above all one must note the differences in order to discover the characteristics.”

I assumed many cultural and diplomatic responsibilities, so I experienced the transformations of international relations, and I saw everyone carrying the banner of culture in arenas, some of which turned into a land for conflict, not a land for dialogue. I even wondered: Is the “culture” that we call for absent or is it absent in relations between nations?

Is it time to correct some of the concepts around it so that humanity regains clarity of its vision for the next stage?

Expressing the greatness of the scientific civilization in Islam, Gustave Le Bon said: "Europe is indebted to the Arabs (Muslims) with its civilization."

culture shifts

At first glance, it may seem that the term “culture” is a complex one whose definitions have varied according to intellectual trends and philosophical and social schools, which has created a multiplicity of its approaches and uses.

The concept is undoubtedly of Western origin, as it did not appear in Arab culture until the 1920s, after the Egyptian thinker Salama Moussa used it.

In its Western origin, the word relates to agricultural work, while the linguistic meaning of the verb “culture” indicates to the Arabs the preparation of a tool from raw material to be a weapon, from that it is said: The sword was educated, meaning its edge and set it, and the lute was educated to be an arrow or a spear.

It is reported that Cicero was the one who used the word “culture” when he said “philosophy is the culture of the soul.” The sixteenth century philosophers adopted this use to launch the phrase “enlightened man.” In Germany, Kant and Bismarck used it in his speech on “the struggle for culture.”

The multiplicity of definitions of “culture” suggests the importance of its renewed role throughout the history of humanity, as it is not just a content and a reservoir of literature, arts, skills, customs and values ​​for a people, as much as it is plans to guide thought and behavior, and it is what distinguishes a society from other societies, although one culture overlaps It shares some aspects with other cultures.

Terry Eagleton, in his book "The Idea of ​​Culture", went on to list four meanings to define culture, they mean: "an accumulation of artistic and mental work, the process by which spiritual and mental ascent takes place, values, customs, beliefs and symbolic practices that men and women employ in life, or The holistic way of life.

However, these same meanings are subject to modification, and it is not pseudoscientific for the term “culture” to witness an expansion of its connotation from one era to another, and the origin of the Western concept of “culture” does not mean the absence of culture from other nations.

The impact of culture on the development of relations between nations

Throughout the ages, peoples have benefited from contact with each other and the exchange of their symbolic wealth. Culture has remained a source of this contact, and each nation has witnessed a varying impact following its contact with other nations. It has also influenced its role through its literature, arts and skills, until “international” relations since ancient times are based on the concept of exchange. and "acculturation", despite the wars, conflicts and disputes that occurred from time to time.

It is noteworthy that the Persian civilization succeeded in the field of medical sciences, while the Roman doctors were resisting a campaign of persecution against them in Romania, and this is what prompted them to resort to live among the Sassanid society that received them to benefit them scientifically, which led to the establishment of a school to graduate doctors, which was the best medical school in Jundishapur at the time. And this school remained flourishing and graduated many doctors until the beginning of the Islamic era.

Let us recall that the Crusades did not stand as an obstacle after its demise from the Europeans’ contact with the Arabs. Since the middle of the Middle Ages, Europeans have been interested in Arab culture and science, and they have resorted to learning Arabic without this being a kind of detraction of their civilizational selves.

The French orientalist Gustav Le Bon says: “No sooner had the Arabs conquered Spain than they began to carry out the mission of civilization in it. Then they began to devote themselves to studying science and literature, translating Greek and Latin books, and establishing universities, which alone remained a refuge for culture in Europe for a long time.

Which prompted Gustave Le Bon to wish that the Muslims had taken over France;

To become Paris like Cordoba in Muslim Spain!

Expressing the greatness of the scientific civilization in Islam, he said:

No one denies the virtue of the Arabs in that bright Andalusian era over Europe (Al-Jazeera)

No one denies the virtue of the Arabs in that bright Andalusian era over Europe immersed in its darkness, just as no one denies the will that some European intellectuals held to in order to draw from Arab knowledge in sciences, literature and philosophy. The principle of influence and influence is an indispensable law between nations. Some nations are a kind of “transculturation” that some groups experience when they move to a new society with a culture different from their original culture. Individuals are affected by the culture of the new society, or in the form of the spread of a new language and culture in society due to the advent of new rulers, as happened in Andalusia. Where the indigenous people relied on Arabic for understanding and dealing with each other, some of them even preferred it to their original language.

These Arabized people played a mediating role in transferring much of the Arab-Islamic civilization to the other kingdoms north of Andalusia.

In the modern era, the German sociologist Max Weber highlighted the economic benefits of Protestant cultures, and Ada B. Bozeman focused on the role of culture in national decision-making, which means that culture enhances the status of the state and determines its fate and influence in international relations as it guides also external decision-making, and determines the views On international political issues, to the extent that peoples and leaders are affected by their culture, their connections with other nations result from the nature of their cultural perceptions. Therefore, Huntington went in his approach to the "clash of civilizations" that culture will be a source of divisions between nations, as culture, in his opinion, is the dominant framework in international relations.

We in Qatar were fully aware of cultural diplomacy, so we practiced it with distinction, which enhanced the status of our country and its interaction with the world. The experience of the cultural years between Qatar and some countries of the world was a unique sign of the success of culture in building a bridge between peoples

Has cultural diplomacy receded?

Through my diplomatic experience and my life, I realized that the path to global reconciliation begins with strengthening the place of culture in international relations.

Therefore, I believed that cultural diplomacy is the key to rapprochement between peoples, and it is a real safety valve for nations looking for peace. Politics is not enough to solve the existing problems between countries, which has been translated by international reality since the end of World War II and during the world’s entry into a polar attraction between the capitalist and socialist camps. .

At that stage, politicians discovered that they needed a more effective means of negotiation, and they realized the role of culture in influencing peoples and in shaping international relations.

I believe that the emergence of the term "soft power" in the early nineties of the twentieth century gave culture a new international role, as the power of the state is no longer measured only by the strength of its economy or its political and military presence, but rather by the extent to which its culture is able to establish relations between it and other countries, and the size of its position in occupying Advance positions in international institutions.

Milton C Cummings defines cultural diplomacy as “the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with a view to promoting mutual understanding.”

I was confident that the role of cultural diplomacy will expand in the future, and that traditional diplomacy will not be able to do without it, but this trust is sometimes confused by the fragility of international relations as the control of one culture over another expands in the name of preference and superiority.

Qatar bets on culture in building international relations

We in Qatar were fully aware of cultural diplomacy, so we practiced it with distinction, which enhanced the status of our country and its interaction with the world. The experience of the cultural years between Qatar and some countries of the world was a unique sign of the success of culture in building a bridge between peoples, promoting understanding through the exchange of creative experiences and exploring diversity. Cultural and civilizational interaction.

Qatar saw that the cultural years develop cultural diplomacy with the participating countries, and ensure the continuity of cultural relations with those countries, so that they do not go away with the demise of the cultural years.

The interest in translation was a milestone for the consolidation of communication with other nations, and I remember that when I was Minister of Culture, Heritage and the Arts, I hastened to establish the translation project, so a large number of books were translated that influenced the movement of world thought and literature, and revealed to the Arab reader the new horizon of global culture and its major currents, and made it Familiar with her questions that stir the spirits of creativity.

The role of translation in Qatar has been enhanced thanks to the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding, which honors translators and appreciates their role in strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the nations and peoples of the world.

And because of my belief in the continuous role of translation, I decided to spare no effort to translate my books into the languages ​​of the world, so that the reader in many countries would become acquainted with a facet of our Qatari culture.

Various cultural institutions in Qatar participated in this trend, to give cultural diplomacy a renewed content, which was reflected in the cultural programs of the Qatar Museums Authority, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Katara Cultural Village and Qatar National Library over the years. A crossroads of world cultures.

The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue is the leading institution in Qatar concerned with interfaith and intercultural dialogue, capacity building in the field of dialogue and a culture of peace.

The State of Qatar believes that nation-building begins with building the human being, and this building is built on the basis of mutual cooperation between the components of human society. Civilization does not rise without the participation of all in facing its challenges.

Since its establishment, the Center has contributed to finding various means in activating the culture of dialogue to achieve rapprochement and coexistence for the sake of peace.

Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will enhance ties with the rest of the world, as sport plays a key role in this soft power. Talking about "sports diplomacy"

Since the first conference of the Center was held in 2003, and the annual conferences have taken place between the followers of the three monotheistic religions, and the cooperation of the State of Qatar with international organizations in order to enhance the cultural role has been developing and expanding. And the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Qatar University, since the launch of the Qatar International Prize for Dialogue of Civilizations in 2018, and the Professorship Chair in the Alliance of Civilizations.

In an effort to build bridges of communication with the cultures of the peoples, the State of Qatar has supported the establishment of community radio stations, which work to enrich the cultural scene in the country and create greater opportunities for intercultural dialogue.

There is no evidence of Qatar’s belief in the role of culture in international relations, from the Arab Cultural House in Berlin, which I had the honor to visit and inaugurate the German translation of my book “At the Destiny of the People of Determination” in it. In reference to the great German poet Goethe, who called in his poetry for the connection between East and West, and there is no doubt that the establishment of this cultural center will strengthen the close historical relations between German and Arab cultures.

I cannot forget the "Education Above All" and "Educate a Child" initiatives in strengthening diplomatic ties, because the message of education carries the development of a culture of peace, and the State of Qatar has been a pioneer in this field, and believes in the role of these initiatives in building bridges between peoples.

Sports diplomacy is the support of common values ​​and the mirror of cultural specificities

Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will enhance ties with the rest of the world, as sport plays a key role in this soft power. Speaking about "sports diplomacy", I am proud of what sport has reached in my beloved country, Qatar, thanks to the wise vision of our leadership.

In addition to the availability of advanced infrastructure, sport has become part of building awareness and a means of community cohesion and a general concern in the lives of Qataris, after the state designated a day for sports in which all members of society devote themselves to practicing all kinds of sports, achieving mental and physical health and realizing the deep dimensions of the message of sport.

There is no doubt that sport is a carrier of values, which are human values ​​common to all, at a time when values ​​have undergone a significant deterioration - not only in the moral sense - in the context of globalization imposing a single global culture that seeks to standardize values ​​and deny privacy.

Values, as a set of perceptions and concepts that define a person’s behavior pattern, are not a simple matter in the course of international relations between societies, especially if some societies feel that they are targeted in their values, and that they are delusional in believing in the existence of relative and non-absolute values ​​as was promoted by the Enlightenment era and European thought on the The theoretical level, while the facts betrayed all the outputs of that theoretical arsenal, which has become like “fraudulent” goods that have expired.

If the values ​​are of this importance in their expression of cultural peculiarities to determine the identity of a society from other societies, the Western cultural hegemony is progressing in the direction of substituting the single cultural model for the cultural systems that distinguish one people from another and one culture from another, which made one society live in tension in its system. Qaimi also witnesses a kind of struggle and refusal to impose the values ​​of other societies that do not care about the specificity of his values.

I believe that the international sporting event would raise the level of acceptance of cultural idiosyncrasies, as hundreds of thousands of fans from different cultures gather to be hosted by Qatar, a country of tolerance and acceptance of the other in mutual respect.

We point out that the 2022 World Cup is a real test for the international system, and for this sweeping global culture, it is a test for its ability to accept the different, respect a culture other than its own, and take into account the cultural specificities that form the basis of international relations.

I recall the rational rationale contained in the speech of His Highness Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, may God protect him, when he said, in his speech about Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup, “We assure that we will not prevent anyone from coming to our country and enjoying football, and we expect everyone to respect our culture.” .

This position is keen on the principle of mutual respect for the cultures of societies, where there is no preference for one culture over another. All the cultures of the world contribute to building the civilization of mankind, which in the words of the Egyptian writer Tawfiq Al-Hakim “is nothing but a work drawn from the flowers of different peoples over generations.”