By Abdullah Al-Omira

Today, at the World Economic Forum, the results of the Global Soft Power Index 2025, issued by Brand Finance, were announced, evaluating 193 countries worldwide.

Saudi Arabia ranked 20th globally.
 Full report 

The ranking is not disappointing…
but it is intellectually provocative.

Not because Saudi Arabia is behind,
but because a natural and pressing question arises:

Why are we not among the top five?
What exactly is missing?

The Assets Exist — Strongly

Saudi Arabia does not suffer from a lack of soft power fundamentals.
On the contrary, it possesses a combination of assets rarely found together in advanced nations:

Balanced political weight

Genuine economic influence

Unique religious and cultural depth

Internal stability

Mega development projects

A generation of young men and women delivering real achievements on the ground

The issue is not what we have,
but how we manage it, and how we present it to the world.

We Build Assets, but Fail to Curate Them

There is no doubt that we excel at producing achievements.
What we often fail to do is:

Curate what truly deserves global presentation

Set clear priorities

Present reality as it is — without pressure or cosmetic distortion

Soft power does not require exaggeration,
but intelligent presentation of what already exists.

The paradox is that many of these assets are created by Saudi youth,
while those steering marketing and media thinking in some institutions
do not match the level of effort — nor understand how to convert it into soft power.

Self-Promotion Instead of Nation Branding

The deeper issue is not international presence itself,
but how and why that presence is managed.

Too often:

“Showmanship” dominates

Personal narratives take precedence

Officials are promoted before the country

Soft power is reduced to images or statements

When the opposite is needed:

The individual should be a smart conduit for projecting the nation —
not the nation a backdrop for projecting the individual.

Soft Power Is Not a Media Function Alone

Reprogramming soft power is not merely about refining media messaging.
It requires recalibrating the entire ecosystem:

Reviewing programs

Measuring real impact

Halting high-cost initiatives with no influence

Strengthening what creates genuine, even if quiet, impact

Soft power is not a campaign.
It is a continuous process:

Monitoring → Analysis → Impact Measurement → Course Correction → Re-presentation

A Professional Testimony — Not Self-Promotion

What follows is not self-promotion,
but a practical illustration of the gap.

For over 14 years, BETH has produced professional analytical media that contributes directly to Saudi Arabia’s soft power impact.

Some may not acknowledge this.
But the principle is simple:

Had the mission been purely professional,
the influence of BETH would have been clearly recognized.

The evidence?

BETH was formally commissioned by the Saudi Ministry of Finance
to monitor, analyze, and assess the global impact of the Kingdom’s budget announcement.

This was not personal initiative.
It was a professional mandate — and an honor.

Real Work Happens Behind the Scenes

The success was not the effort of one entity.
It was the result of an integrated team of young professionals at the Ministry who worked around the clock for an entire month:

Monitoring

Analysis

Continuous follow-up

Narrative adjustment

Measuring global perception shifts

Anyone who observes carefully will notice a tangible transformation in tone and impact.

The task is not difficult —
but it requires logistical intelligence, not merely issuing statements.

Massive Assets, Missing Coordination

Saudi Arabia invests in achievements at a level unmatched by many major powers.
But financial investment must be matched by strategic soft power intelligence.

The challenge is not tools, platforms, or budgets.

It is the presence of a mind that understands:

What is being done, why it matters, and who it is for.

The top five countries in the index
have not necessarily achieved more than Saudi Arabia —
but they understood how to:

Invest less, more intelligently

Build a coherent image

Align action with narrative

Follow impact to the final point

Conclusion

Soft power is not a ranking in a report.
It is the outcome of awareness.

Awareness that:

Achievement alone is not enough

Silence does not build perception

Noise does not create influence

Saudi Arabia possesses everything needed to lead the rankings.

What is missing is not assets —
but intelligent management of what already exists.

Saudi Arabia does not seek a place in global indices.
It defines its presence through its unique assets — when managed wisely.
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Image Commentary | Talking Image

The image embodies the concept of soft power as a network of indirect influence:
interwoven lines symbolizing relationships, and luminous points representing reputation and the cumulative impact built over time.

There is no presence of hard power or confrontation—only quiet pathways that construct influence through understanding, trust, and the consistency of behavior.