Russian Soft Power in Africa, Asia & the Middle East - Vladimir Liparteliani | Ep. 9 (2026)

How does a country under heavy sanctions continue to win influence across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia? In this episode, Vladimir Liparteliani unpacks the full machinery of Russian soft power — from RT and Sputnik to educational diplomacy, cultural outreach, and religious projection.Vladimir Liparteliani is an associate fellow at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University. As a scholar of international relations, he focuses on soft power and international power competition in the post-Soviet space.Selected Publications:Soft Power Competition Between Russia and the West: Contesting Georgian National Identity, 1991–2024The Art of Subtle Influence: Russian Soft Power and Georgia’s Conservative TurnContent00:00 — Introduction01:37 — Conceptualising Russian Soft Power: Beyond Nye’s Classical Framework05:58 — Russian Scholarly Perspectives on Soft Power07:10 — Soft Power, Strategic Communication, and Influence Operations in Russian Foreign Policy08:42 — Strategic Ambiguity: The ‘Blurriness’ of Russian Soft Power09:23 — Great Power Identity and the Logic of Russian Soft Power11:53 — Soviet Legacies and Their Influence on Contemporary Russian Soft Power14:21 — International Broadcasting as Soft Power: RT and Sputnik18:22 — Narratives and Messaging in RT and Sputnik Content20:52 — Global Accessibility and Restrictions on RT and Sputnik23:02 — Educational Diplomacy in Russian Foreign Policy26:22 — Education as a Soft Power Instrument28:41 — The Experience of International Students in Russia30:22 — Cultural Diplomacy and the Projection of Russian Culture34:13 — Global Reception and Participation in Russian Cultural Initiatives36:54 — The Russian Orthodox Church and Religious Soft Power41:15 — Narrative Effectiveness and Audience Reception in Russian Soft Power43:52 — The Interaction of Soft and Hard Power in Russian Strategy46:49 — Soft Power within Russia’s Military and Security Agenda49:09 — Adapting Russian Soft Power to New Political Realities51:50 — The Impact of Sanctions on Russian Soft Power Adaptation54:31 — Opportunities and Constraints for Russian Soft Power in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia57:27 — Research Motivation: Studying Russian Soft Power Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.