Book

Are We Still Seeking the World's Attention?

Dr. Saud Katib

Publication date: July 21, 2026 22:31 KSA

For decades, the goal of capturing global attention “Global Attention” has been one of the most important objectives of public diplomacy, and perhaps that goal was and still is logical for small countries seeking to enhance their international presence.. But the success of any country in achieving that presence imposes a new question: does it continue to measure its success by the same indicators, or does each stage have its own criteria?.

For the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I believe it has today reached an advanced stage that warrants re-asking this question... The Kingdom is no longer a country seeking a place on the map of international attention; rather, it has become present in politics, economy, investment, culture, tourism, entertainment, and education, and many of its initiatives are subject to global follow-up. Yet, I do not know why some still often measure the success of our public diplomacy initiatives by the same question: Did the world talk about us, and how many times did it repeat our name?.

In my estimation, this was an appropriate question in an earlier stage, but it is no longer sufficient today. Attention is not a goal, but a strategic resource; it may be striking but temporary, noisy but not entrenched, and global but does not necessarily guarantee a lasting positive impact on the mental image or level of trust. Therefore, the true value of 'attention' lies not in its size and noise, but in the ability to invest it and convert it into sustainable results. Hence, I believe that public diplomacy has entered a new phase that can be described as 'post-attention diplomacy,' which refers to the stage in which the priority shifts from seeking to attract international attention to managing this attention and converting it into trust, partnerships, a stable mental image, and moral capital that serves national interests in the long term. The difference between the two stages is clear: in the first, the question is, how do we make the world turn to us? In the second, the question becomes, what after the world has turned to us? This intellectual shift certainly does not diminish the importance of major initiatives, but raises the bar for evaluating them. When a country hosts a global event, launches a massive project, or attracts a personality with international presence, its success should not be measured only by the volume of media coverage and interactions, or the number of times its name is circulated, but by the positive change it has brought about in the mental image, the level of trust, or the quality of the relationships it has built with the world. The problem is not in caring about attracting attention, but in turning it into the main criterion for judging successes. Media coverage and interactions on social networks are indicators of activity, but they are not necessarily indicators of impact. The real impact is measured by what remains after the event ends, and by what turns into sustainable value that does not end with the conclusion of the occasion, or the change of headlines and shifting interests. The Kingdom has succeeded in recent years in building an international presence that is difficult to ignore, and this in itself is an important achievement. But the success of this stage should push us to move beyond it, not to remain captive to its criteria. Success of initiatives does not come from repeating yesterday's goals, but from evolving their goals as the country's status evolves. In conclusion, perhaps the real challenge facing Saudi public diplomacy practitioners today is no longer in proving the ability to attract the world's attention (this has already been achieved), but rather in managing this attention, measuring it accurately, and then converting it into sustainable capital of trust, influence, and international standing.

Diplomacy attention success impact trust relations investment Kingdom