The Power Paradigm of the King Salman Period: Building a Saudi Soft Power?

Abstract Saudi foreign policy entered into a transformation period towards a de-militarization and de-escalation with the regional and non-regional actors since the Al-Ula Peace in January 2021. Under the supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi decision-makers constructed a new domestic power paradigm based on economic diversification and an ambitious Saudi nation described in the 2030 Saudi Vision. Accordingly, the changing regional security perceptions of the regional actors based on diplomatic manoeuvres awakened Saudi Arabia to invest in building soft power apart from the religious leadership in the Muslim world. Thus, the King Salman period experiences producing a Saudi soft power in cultural, social, political, and economic ways while silencing the religious rhetoric in foreign policy making.