Riyadh Art: persuasion as a weapon of progress

The article by Francesco Rutelli, Chairman di Proger Art & Culture

PERSUASION AS A WEAPON OF PROGRESS

Soft power. Diplomacy, dialogue, and reputation are key resources. Riyadh believes in this path as it opens up to society with Expo 2030, the 2034 World Cup, and investment in culture.

The sixth International Conference of the Soft Power Club, held in Naples on 26–27 May at the conference centres of Federico II and L’Orientale universities, successfully demonstrated the potential for cultivating tools of reputation and persuasion. This is particularly significant in the current season of intense confrontations. The initiatives of several Gulf countries, and Saudi Arabia in particular are exemplary in this sense: we see it in ongoing diplomatic talks on open crises and conflicts and in an impressive wave of investment in both international events and the arts. In parallel with a gradual and meaningful opening of society, Riyadh has secured the Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup. It has launched a systematic programme of cultural investment (through Riyadh Art and the opening of dozens of museums) that is unmatched worldwide.

I am deeply honoured to have been asked to chair the new Proger Art & Culture business unit. I deeply believe in this idea, drawing on my experience as Mayor of Rome, Minister of Culture, and now founder and president of the Soft Power Club. As Italians, we are used to dealing with the beauty, stratifications and challenges of some of the world’s greatest artistic, architectural, archaeological and landscape heritages. By developing innovative solutions in Saudi Arabia, we can create global reference models and build a concrete dialogue with institutions in countries that are becoming new players on the world stage using culture as a powerful response to major challenges. Cultural growth can foster sustainable development and social inclusion. In collaboration with Proger, a prominent engineering firm, we aim to develop a vision that combines innovation, the experience of art in museums and public spaces, as well as digital and creative advancements.

Riyadh Art also has geopolitical aims. For decades, Saudi Arabia was associated with an image of cultural restrictions and of an oil-centred economic model; transforming that perception by projecting an image of progress and modernity is a novel example of exercising the so called “soft power”. Since October 2024, cultural events in Riyadh have attracted more than 20 million visitors.

The recent passing of Joseph Nye—who coined the term “soft power” and always took part in our Club’s initiatives—has received a special tribute in the growing global awareness of these ideas. Dozens of media analyses have highlighted the expanding commitments in various regions of the world to diverse expressions and new definitions of soft power. As Nye wrote, “There is no world government, but there are many social contracts that provide a certain level of global governance.” Soft power is not a feel-good luxury; it does not replace the need for security instruments in the face of aggression and violence. More than ever, it is intertwined with each nation’s economic and strategic interests, as the IMF’s Soft Power Index shows, and it demands greater efficiency and effectiveness in multilateral bodies and agreements.

Il Sole 24 Ore devoted attention to our latest conference (Tuesday 27 May, p. 18), which enjoyed extraordinary contributions—from the Medal of the President of the Republic to speeches by French Prime Minister François Bayrou, ANCI President Gaetano Manfredi, Minister of  Culture  Alessandro Giuli and Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy  Adolfo Urso; from debates among Euro-Mediterranean cultural leaders to an unprecedented, valuable dialogue featuring HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem), Pietrangelo Buttafuoco (president of the Venice Biennale), Roberto Tottoli (Dean of the University L’Orientale) and Rabbi Benedetto Carucci Viterbi. Local authorities proposed to work on a future conference on “The Soft Power of Cities”. With Venice Architecture Biennale Curator Carlo Ratti, we decided to propose a strong, pragmatic initiative on adaptation to climate-change—a vital intervention for our cities, territories and the world’s cultural heritage, and a driver of industrial growth, employment, prevention and resilience in the face of extreme events.

Our conference made it clear that abandoning the tools of competition and cooperation in culture, cultural diplomacy, and the creative industries deprives nations of essential instruments for their own interests in a global context. This was evident during the peak of globalisation and is even more critical today. Attracting investment relies heavily on how a nation presents itself to international tourists, the reliability of its institutions in encouraging or deterring foreign investors, and the quality of its transport links, digital networks, and trade infrastructure.

Of course, there are adversaries to soft-power strategies that must not be underestimated: toxic disinformation and the manipulative use of algorithms. Yet no false propaganda endures indefinitely. History shows—two millennia ago in Imperial Rome, for instance—that armies, infrastructure and logistics are crucial, and propaganda matters, but offering models of pluralism and civil, cultural and economic wealth can make the real difference. The United Kingdom has set up a highly authoritative Soft Power Group involving top institutions and leading private players to strengthen its “National brand”. Italy, recognized globally as a cultural leader and a visionary nation shaped by the aftermath of war, must navigate this historical period while preserving its most valued assets, which will play an increasingly significant role in future international relations.

The article by Marco Lombardi, CEO di Proger

THE GENTLE POWER OF MAKING PEACE

There are 56 armed conflicts raging in the world today—the highest number since the end of the Second World War. In the past year alone, at least 233,000 people have died and more than 100 million have been forced from their homes in search of peace. We often find ourselves taking sides in biased groups when confronted with images of conflict. And yet there is another way to explain one’s motives and to seek the grounds for productive co-existence instead of the hard power of bombs or strangling finance: soft power.

Soft power is the persuasive strength that comes from the immobile engine of attraction—the gentle force of ideas, ideals and values; of art as the highest expression of that sensibility. No army has ever succeeded in imposing a culture on a population against their values; paradoxically, not even the atomic bomb could do so. Knowledge, however, has. From the Roman Empire to the Italian Renaissance, from the Protestant Reformation to the great geographical discoveries, it has been the triumph of ideas that has marked history. According to the Talmud, thoughts progress into words, actions, habits, and eventually character, which shapes our destiny. Our thoughts indicate what we may become.

With these ambitious ideas, Proger has made its hyperspace leap. Moving from being Italy’s leading engineering firm by revenue to being the first to invest in the gentle power of culture and art.

The integration of these aspects into concrete executive design has resulted in the establishment of a new Art & Culture division. An idea becomes action, a value system becomes a project, and an engineering company becomes an instrument of the culture of the community in which it operates. We strive to articulate this with restraint, avoiding any inclination towards rhetoric. Nevertheless, this spirit drives us as we actualize Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for Saudi Arabia.

He chose to turn ideas into action, leading his people—long bound to traditions hard to reconcile with our sensibilities—toward a modernity based on building something new and beauty, passing through the discovery of rights that belong to the human nation. Proger has identified the concept of words turning into actions and ideas materializing into tangible outcomes, contributing modestly yet resolutely to the development of society. Cicero said that “brute force is the law of beasts”. The force of persuasion and sharing, of beauty and progress, is the force of women and men coming out of the cave.