Health Diplomacy as Soft Power: Lessons from Brazil and Cuba for Iran

One of the sates concerns to increase their soft power, especially during the coronavirus outbreak in the world, has been the issue of health diplomacy. Although this concept is not new, it has not had a prominent place in the foreign policy of countries such as Iran. The main question of the study is what experiences have Cuba and Brazil as two successful and world-famous examples in the field of health diplomacy, and how can Iran use these experiences to increase its soft power in the world? The research hypothesis emphasizes that in these countries, health has spilled over from the issue of domestic policy to foreign policy. Relying on ideological and economic interests, Cuba used it to serve its soft power, and Brazil directly to pursue the political dimension (building reputation and gain prestige). The method used in this paper is a comparative-analytical method and soft power theory has been used to analyze the collected data. Findings show that Brazil's successful experiences in cooperation with the World Health Organization in the fight against AIDS and the development of international conventions can be repeated by Iran in the field of drug trafficking and its effects. Iran, like Brazil, can provide financial assistance to countries through the WHO, thereby boosting its international reputation. Also, Cuba's success in educating students from other countries in the fields of medicine, selling drugs and medical equipment, providing health services to applicant countries, participating in global vaccination programs, etc., may be repeated by Iran.