TRENDS Research & Advisory, through its virtual office in France, concluded its participation as a special guest at the Paris Book Fair 2026 by launching the French translation of the book, Soft Power and Its Role in Strengthening the UAE’s Foreign Policy, along with the French version of the Muslim Brotherhood International Power Index (MBIPI) 2025, at the joint pavilion of TRENDS Research & Advisory and Mohammed Bin Zayed University for Humanities at the Grand Palais in Paris.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Power

TRENDS held a panel discussion, moderated by researcher Hazza Al Hammadi, during which Dr. Wael Saleh, Director of TRENDS’ Virtual Offices in France and Canada, reviewed the most prominent results of the Muslim Brotherhood International Power Index (MBIPI) 2025. He noted that the index provides an innovative quantitative measurement of the international power of the Muslim Brotherhood across five main dimensions: organizational, political-security, economic, media, and social, to offer an analytical tool for policymakers.

He stated that the index shows the Muslim Brotherhood’s overall strength is in continuous decline, having decreased from 64% in 2021 to 47.3% in 2025, indicating a shift from a strong to an average level amid deep structural transformations within the Brotherhood.

It also highlights that the group has moved from a centralized, hierarchical organization to a decentralized, multi-branch network, with the erosion of the role of the “international organization” as a unifying structure and the emergence of what can be described as “Network Brotherhood”.

Organizational Disintegration

Dr. Saleh pointed out that this decline is explained by three main factors: internal organizational disintegration, a decline in external political and financial support, and increased legal and security pressures in several countries that weaken its ability to coordinate and influence.

He added that the index concludes that the group has not disappeared but has adapted by shifting toward indirect influence, especially in the media, social, and digital fields, with its relative center of gravity moving to environments outside the Arab world.

Attractiveness and Building Partnerships

TRENDS also launched the French translation of the book, Soft Power and Its Role in Strengthening the UAE’s Foreign Policy, by Dr. Theyab bin Ghanem Al Mazroui. The book argues that soft power has become a structural pillar of Emirati foreign policy, amid the decline in the effectiveness of hard power and the rise of influence based on attraction, persuasion, and partnership building. It also theoretically establishes the concept of soft power, clarifies its distinction from both hard power and smart power, and highlights that its sources are multiple (culture, education, innovation, media, and aid), making it a long-term, relatively low-cost tool.

Corporate Strategic Vision

The book shows that the UAE’s foreign policy is based on an integrated system of tools (diplomacy, media, economy, and defense) and is employed within a strategic vision that combines internal development and external influence, thereby enhancing the UAE’s international standing.

It also demonstrates that the UAE’s success is not attributable to resources but rather to a strategic institutional vision that has transformed developmental achievements and values into diplomatic capital that enhances security, partnerships, and international mediation.

The book Soft Power concludes that the UAE represents a model country that has been able to redefine international power by shifting from a logic of coercion to one of attraction and sustainable influence, enabling it to play an active role in the international system.

Richness and Diversity of Publications

In a related context, the TRENDS Research & Advisory pavilion at the Paris Book Fair attracted a host of officials, thinkers, academics, and intellectuals who appreciated the richness of the scientific series, the diversity of research publications, and the uniqueness of strategic, economic, and technological studies.

Pierre-Yves Berenger, Director General of the Paris International Book Fair, and Xavier Duplouy, Acting Director of the Paris International Book Fair, praised TRENDS’ pivotal role in supporting culture and knowledge regionally and internationally, and its efforts in supporting the field of scientific publishing, thereby confirming the importance of think tanks in building bridges of communication across continents.

The TRENDS team also reviewed the mechanisms of knowledge and cultural cooperation of a number of international pavilions participating in the Paris Book Fair 2026 and presented them with a collection of the Center’s latest and most prominent research publications.