(The Role and Impact of Soft Power in Managing Political Crises)"Assessment of Kurdish Media in Crisis Management Between the Region and Baghdad,From the Perspective of a Group of Academics in Kurdistan"

Abstract

Soft power is considered one of the fundamental pillars in managing various crises in the era of globalization, due to its intellectual and philosophical content that aligns with the spirit of the age. It involves precise identification and deep diagnosis of crises that arise between the related parties, by adopting sound reasoning and enlightened thinking to contain and control crises without exacerbating them, based on logical, realistic, and rational accepted principles and foundations.

  A crisis is a product of society, rooted and growing based on a set of subjective and objective data as a tangible, realistic phenomenon based on action and reaction, whether deliberate or arbitrary. Therefore, how to deal with the crisis and ways to confront and manage it is considered a roadmap leading to two paths and no third option: either towards the resolution of the crisis or towards its explosion.

    The relationship between the Kurdistan Region and the central government in Baghdad, which is the subject of our research, is a relationship based on crisis and crisis management on one hand, and crisis creation and escalation on the other. Therefore, the relationship between them can be considered thorny, complex, confused, and crisis-ridden, as a result of the lack of trust between the two parties, and the buying of time in order to forget and not demand those rights by the Kurdistan Region, as the central government in Baghdad believes.

    The media, in all its various and diverse forms, plays a fundamental and pivotal role in creating a suitable environment for managing the crisis between the two parties in order to bring their viewpoints closer together, search for common points, and avoid stirring up grudges and exacerbating the crisis to reach a deadlock. This matter requires a balanced media policy compatible with soft power, both in terms of tactics and strategy, in order to safeguard interests and achieve the desired goals.