Saudi Arabia’s Rebrand: Third World Politics Covered by First World Economics

Conrad Wardin (’26)

Drawing over 50 A-list comedians, including Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart, and Dave Chappelle, Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival was a planned social success, orchestrated by the Saudi Arabian monarchy. However, many people on social media are not willing to accept this as a benign event, not forgetting the this festival rests on the seventh anniversary of the assassination of as Washington Post reporter, Jamal Khashoggi, at the approval Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Furthermore, comedians that rejected the appealing paycheck to perform at the festival have released the conditions surrounding it, which forbid making any jokes surrounding the Saudi Arabia, their royal family, or religion; these straightforward restrictions on free speech reinforce that Saudi Arabia remains prevalent in human rights violations.

Other recent cases involve the arrest and torture of 72 year-old Saad Almadi, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison over tweets he had posted criticizing some of Saudi Arabia’s actions before being released by the government, acting under international pressures.

Unfortunately, as result of Saudi Arabia’s recent attempts to globally rebrand themselves and expand their soft power, better defined as non-coercive influence, these civil rights violations have found little place in modern discussions surrounding the state of the country. Recent investments such as their $5 billion expenditure into their golf league, LIV Golf, their $3.5 billion stake in Uber, earning them a seat on their board of directors, and their $55 billion purchase of EA, an American video game company, in the largest private equity buyout ever, show their commitment to increasing involvement in well-known sectors of entertainment and global consumer influence. Reflecting this strategy, in a report analyzing soft power and reputation, Saudi Arabia was most successful and recognized in business, familiarity, reputation, and international relations, while it scored weakly in their governance, media, education, and sustainability in the future. Earning them a 20th spot in the rankings, Saudi Arabia has also seen a much more positive view from social media as over the last two years, reports from Western media on the country’s environmental impact, culture, civil rights violation, and humanitarian efforts have decreased. These developments clearly represent a deliberate shift of Saudi Arabia’s global position, utilizing high-profile investments and cultural involvements to distract from ongoing authoritarian crackdowns.