Aerial view of skyline of Mecca holy city in Saudi Arabia. (Shutterstock)
What is Saudi Arabia’s source of power? Oil, some say. That’s wrong, I say. It is instead the Kingdom’s unique cultural power and influence that are central to understanding its role in the world today. While countries have various sources of power, Saudi Arabia’s “soft power” is near unmatched. It has assets and a heritage that others do not.
But what is soft power and how does the Kingdom wield it?