Vol. 9 No. 37 (2026) | articles

Developmental Diplomatic Empowerment (DDE): Institutionalizing Sustainable Development as Structural Soft Power in Arab Foreign Policy

1 Authors
Authors
Dema Faeq Abu Latifa
De
Published
2026-02-20
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articles
Abstract

This study addresses a theoretical gap in the literature on development diplomacy, namely the absence of an analytical framework capable of explaining how sustainable development becomes a structural resource for generating diplomatic influence when institutionally embedded within foreign policy decision-making structures. The study aims to test a proposed analytical framework—Developmental Diplomatic Empowerment (DDE)—as an interpretive lens linking institutional integration, strategic sustainability, and multi-actor engagement in explaining the relationship between development and international influence.

The research adopts a qualitative analytical-comparative design based on the examination of official documents, national strategies, and development initiatives with external reach across four Arab cases: Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Palestine. The selection of these cases enables the operational testing of the framework across diverse political and economic contexts.

The findings indicate that development becomes a form of structural soft power when three interrelated conditions are present: (1) institutional linkage between development and foreign policy, (2) incorporation of sustainability into the national external narrative, and (3) the deployment of development initiatives through multi-level diplomatic partnership networks. The comparison further shows that developmental influence does not follow a single pattern but rather multiple forms shaped by institutional configurations and modes of policy deployment.

The study contributes to the international literature by clarifying the institutional mechanisms through which the integration of development into foreign policy generates differentiated patterns of diplomatic influence. Furthermore, it offers an analytical framework suitable for testing in cross-regional comparative research.

Keywords
Development Diplomacy Developmental Diplomatic Empowerment (DDE) Institutional Foreign Policy Sustainable Development International Partnerships
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