Saudi Arabia commitment in public diplomacy: economic or visibility aim?

The aim of the research is to analyse Saudi Arabia’s growing commitment in public di-plomacy and assess whether its global engagement is more skewed towards an economic plan or a visibility strategy. In an increasingly interconnected and competitive global environment, countries are rec-ognizing the growing relevance of public diplomacy as a tool to enhance their global in-fluence. Public diplomacy focuses on engaging with foreign publics through cultural ex-changes, media, education, soft and hard power strategies, and it has become a pivotal as-pect in International Relations. As traditional diplomatic practices evolve, countries are turning to public diplomacy strategies to strengthen relationships, reshape global narra-tives, and project their goals and values on the international stage. As a result, public di-plomacy has become a cornerstone of foreign policy for several countries, reflecting their aspirations to influence international discourse, attract investment and foster deeper dip-lomatic and cultural ties. Saudi Arabia has recognized the growing significance of this tool and has increasingly integrated it into its foreign policy. Therefore, the world’s interest in Saudi public diplo-macy grew gradually, becoming more pronounced over the past two decades. This coin-cided with several key events and strategic shifts in the Kingdom’s foreign policy, eco-nomic objectives and social reforms. Because of that, the Kingdom’s use of public di-plomacy can be categorized into two distinct periods, before and after 2016. Before 2016, Saudi Arabia showed limited interest in actively engaging with foreign publics, focusing primarily on regional concerns and on the Muslim world, in which it capitalized its status as the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina. Within the Middle East, the country’s regional strategy was shaped by the interest to rein-force its position as a leader in the Arab world, while also confronting regional threats. In 1978 Saudi Arabia launched its media asset with the founding of the Pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. In 1991 the Kingdom introduced its first television channel under the Middle East Broadcasting Group (MBC), which went on to become one of the most popu-lar television networks in the Arab world and, finally, in 2003 it launched Al-Arabiya of-fering an alternative voice in the Arab media landscape. As part of its strategy, it serves as an important instrument of Saudi public diplomacy, to influence public opinion in the Arab world and beyond. The growing Saudi involvement in public diplomacy emerged strongly in the aftermath of the rise of Mohammed bin Salman in 2015, within the Vision 2030 goals. The Kingdom’s engagement in public diplomacy was driven by necessity to assert its own narrative and counter negative portrayals in the face of regional instability. The Kingdom in fact, seeks to empower its international influence and cultural appeal, to reshape its international image and to promote its economic interests. Saudi Arabia has thus positioned itself as an active participant in this global shift. In this context, understanding the nature of Saudi public diplomacy, provides valuable insights into its broader strategic objectives and the role this plays in its global engagement.