WHAT IS RONALDO DOING IN SAUDI ARABIA? NEO-KEMALISM, NATIONAL IDENTITY AND THE NEW TYPE OF NATIONALISM IN THE GULF STATES Cover Image

CE CAUTĂ RONALDO ÎN ARABIA SAUDITĂ? NEO-KEMALISM, IDENTITATE NAȚIONALĂ ȘI NOUL TIP DE NAȚIONALISM ÎN STATELE DIN GOLF
WHAT IS RONALDO DOING IN SAUDI ARABIA? NEO-KEMALISM, NATIONAL IDENTITY AND THE NEW TYPE OF NATIONALISM IN THE GULF STATES

Author(s): Dan Dungaciu
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Social Sciences, Sociology, International relations/trade, Nationalism Studies
Published by: EDITURA INSTITUTULUI DE ȘTIINȚE POLITICE ȘI RELAȚII INTERNAȚIONALE ”Ion I. C. Brătianu”
Keywords: Ronaldo; soccer; the Middle East; nation and nationalism; secularization; sportswashing; Project 2030; Saudi Arabia;

Summary/Abstract: This article aims to draw attention to one of the most overlooked issues in international relations when discussing the Middle East. We refer to the issue of nationhood and nationalism as it unfolds today. Rarely do we find studies dedicated to this issue in the specialized literature, let alone specialized volumes or works. What is Ronaldo doing in Saudi Arabia? This question aims to draw attention to these developments. For even now, it is not just about what we see, i.e., the simple transfer of an international superstar, but about a deeper evolution with profound repercussions that will radically change the landscape. It is about the national landscape of the Gulf populations. The nationalization of the Gulf is one of the most profound and subtle changes we are witnessing today in the Middle East. We would like to draw attention to this in the article below.

  • Issue Year: XXII/2025
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 53-61
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Romanian
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