Dr. Diana Galeeva‏‏

In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has received attention for its effective use of soft power. On Monday 23 October, it launched the Esports World <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/saudi-arabia-announces-esports-world-cup-statement-2023-10-23/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cup</a>, a high-profile video game tournament that will be held annually in Riyadh beginning in summer <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/saudi-arabia-announces-esports-world-cup-statement-2023-10-23/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2024</a>. The following week in October, Saudi Arabia was chosen as the host nation for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, after being the only country to submit its bid by FIFA’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/31/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-world-cup-2034.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">deadline</a>. The Saudi Pro League, a Saudi-based football league, has emerged as the highest-paying league outside of Europe. It has poured hundreds of millions of euros into transfers of football legends such as Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazil’s Neymar da Silva, and France’s Karim Benzema and <a href="https://thediplomatinspain.com/en/2023/08/mohamed-bin-salman-and-his-vision-2030/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">N’Golo Kanté</a>. Following the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United, staff morale has improved, and the women’s team has been made fully professional. All of these initiatives, including sports, esports, and gaming, are part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 to diversify the Saudi economy and reduce dependence on oil. Why has soft power become so essential for Saudi Arabia? I argue that the Saudi case demonstrates that other types of power (including hard and sharp power) have failed to produce effective results. The most effective way for Saudi Arabia to overcome challenges caused by hard and sharp power and influence is through the use of soft power. In his book, Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics, political theorist Joseph Nye explains how "soft power," or power exercised through diplomacy and cultural influence, has often outshone "hard power," or power exercised through military force. Saudi Arabia’s primary reason for becoming involved in the Yemen war was to curb Iranian influence in the Gulf by defeating the Houthi rebels <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-42008809" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">there</a>. The use of military force to achieve this goal is broadly consistent with the realist school of global geopolitics. The US employed the same strategy towards Iraq and Afghanistan; Russia did the same in Ukraine. The current Israel-Hamas war follows this worldwide trend towards using violence to settle international disputes.Nye insists that the most important strategy that a country can rely on is soft power. Indeed, he concludes that while soft power might take longer to achieve its objectives than hard power, its positive impacts are more enduring. According to western analysts, the war in Yemen relatively affected Saudi Arabia’s image abroad; Saudi efforts to pivot towards soft power represent a major tonal shift in its foreign policy. Through initiatives such as the World Cup and Esports Cup, the Kingdom is focusing on the positive impact of soft power. The more successful Saudi Arabia is in promoting this image abroad, the better it will be able to overcome damage done to its reputation through the injudicious use of hard power. Another key issue is the connection between soft and sharp power. Walker and Ludwig &nbsp;(2017) introduced the idea of "sharp power" in revisiting Nye’s soft power thesis. Sharp power, or the coercive use of tools traditionally associated with soft power, is often employed by authoritarian regimes. In that light, some GCC initiatives have been criticized by the West on human rights grounds. However, the reality is that Saudi efforts on key human rights issues amount to soft power in action as the country re-establishes its image as a modern, tolerant society. These efforts include eliminating the male guardianship system, allowing greater freedom of travel, permitting women to drive, seeking gender parity in education and employment, and eliminating other taboos in the nation’s education <a href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/2208951/saudi-soft-power-hook-vision-2030" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">system</a> (including through full access to music and the arts).The importance of soft power will only increase in the years ahead, both for Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world. Diplomacy is essential to tackling climate change, and nations around the world will need to commit to the Paris Agreement and address a litany of climate-related challenges including waste management, renewables, sustainability, and reducing carbon <a href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/2208951/saudi-soft-power-hook-vision-2030" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">footprints</a>. Although Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest oil exporters, it has prioritized the green energy transition in its Vision 2023, and made other commitments to environmental protection through the "Made in Saudi" initiative. It has also sought to transition the economy away from fossil fuels and into other sectors such as tourism. In Europe, "Visit Saudi" advertisements are a common sight, encouraging tourists to visit the Kingdom and explore its cultural heritage. The Saudi government has invested in cultural attractions including the Saudi Center for Fine Arts, the Hafez Gallery (for Saudi and Middle Eastern art), the Hijazi art gallery at Darat Safeya <a href="https://www.visitsaudi.com/en/see-do/destinations/jeddah/the-art-gallery-scene-of-jeddah" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Binzagr</a>, and the <a href="https://www.visitsaudi.com/en/see-do/destinations/jeddah/touring-jeddah-s-best-museums" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jeddah Central Museum</a>, among others. Saudi Arabia’s $500-billion-smart city, NEOM, is expected to be 33 times the size of New York when <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/neom-saudi-arabia-smart-city-mohammed-bin-salman-b1114036.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">complete</a>. All of these initiatives are derived from soft power initiatives that provide the country with significant tools to bolster its reputation abroad. There are numerous additional pathways through which Saudi Arabia might seek to expand its use of soft power. For example, establishing a new think tank, which will solely offer strategic analyses on promoting Saudi soft power, could be a useful tool in promoting soft diplomacy, increasing humanitarian assistance, mediating regional conflicts, and furthering the development of Vision 2030. For instance, Saudi Arabia has already played a major diplomatic role in the Ukraine conflict through helping arrange prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine and offering humanitarian assistance. If Riyadh wishes to pursue further diplomatic initiatives of this kind, it would be helpful for it to acquire deeper knowledge of the context on both sides in order to effectively boost Saudi soft power. In 2023, Saudi Arabia emerged as a leading mediator in the Hamas-Israel war, including through hosting a meeting for the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Drawing on the "soft power" &nbsp;think tank to engage with pressing disputes during wartime might further expand Saudi peacebuilding strategies and present creative ways to further boost the Kingdom’s international standing. As noted earlier, finding new ways of peacebuilding will be crucial, since the international community has failed to prevent recent conflicts and chosen war instead. By providing the international community with new peacebuilding strategies, Saudi Arabia could find its own foreign diplomacy niche and bolster its influence, respect, and recognition in the international political arena.In sum, Saudi Arabia should continue to develop soft power as an effective foreign policy tool. This will help the Kingdom in overcoming many major challenges that it has faced in employing hard and sharp power tools. At the same time, it will provide further innovative pathways to pursue vital economic reform efforts and spread Saudi soft power worldwide. &nbsp;&nbsp;

How Is Saudi Arabia Trying to Strengthen its Global Influence?