THE ROLE OF THE MAHALLA INSTITUTE AS AN ELEMENT OF “SOFT POWER” AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL: ANALYSIS OF UZBEKISTAN’S EXPERIENCE AND WORLD PRACTICE

Abstract

This paper looks at how the Mahalla institute works as this special social and political thing, kind of like a key part of soft power on the world stage, using Uzbekistans own story and comparing it to what happens elsewhere. I think the Mahalla, being this old way of people managing their own communities, helps hold things together inside the country, but also sort of projects a good image outside, through culture and ideas that influence others without forcing anything. Pulling from books and studies in politics, society stuff, global relations, and how governments run, it seems like the Mahalla fits into that idea of soft power where you dont need to push hard, just attract people. The paper points out whats good about making the Mahalla fit into bigger world stories about running things, but also the tricky parts that arent fixed yet, like how it adapts, if its really legit, and whether it can move to other places. From what I see, Uzbekistans way with this gives a useful example of how local community setups can help with global soft power plans, while keeping things real to the culture.