What could the UAE do to rise even faster up the soft power league table? It could design and build the first embassy of the future. The original embassies were not buildings but missions of people, sent out to connect, trade and influence. The embassy of the future will return to this idea, representing the dynamism and brand of a country. It will serve as a hub for dialogue, innovation, and exchange, much like the UAE itself.

The UK has come first in the soft power index, a global ranking of the 30 countries with the most soft power, based on the strength of nations’ so called soft power resources Soft power is a form of global power that shuns traditional foreign policy carrot and stick methods.