About the Platform
My Signature Approach to Public Diplomacy
While traditional public diplomacy focuses on institutions, messaging, and policies, my work dives into the psychology of leadership, the aesthetics of statecraft, and the subconscious signals that shape global influence. I study the subtle cues, emotional rhythms, and symbolic choices that reveal how a nation communicates through a person.
My lens blends:
Philosophical insight to capture the deeper meaning behind a leader’s narrative.
Psychological depth to understand how charisma, perception, and identity operate.
Aesthetic intelligence to analyze gesture, expression, attire, and the visual codes of power.
Strategic diplomacy to translate these elements into soft-power impact.
This integrated perspective is what I call Persona Diplomacy:
The study of how leaders convey national identity, cultural meaning, and political influence through their presence, psychology, symbolism, and aesthetic expression.
The Beyond the Sword series applies this framework to Saudi kings and leaders, tracing the evolution of Saudi public diplomacy from its early foundations to today’s transformative era. Through psychological interpretation, narrative analysis, and visual diplomacy, the series examines how Saudi leadership has shaped cultural identity and global perception over time.
Beyond this flagship series, the platform expands into other dimensions of diplomacy through curated sections such as Plates for Peace (culinary diplomacy), Flags Beyond Borders (symbolism in state identity), Beyond the Battlefield (strategic messaging in conflict and defense), Currency of Influence (economic diplomacy and capital as soft power), and Scented States (fragrance as cultural ritual and geopolitical signal).
By weaving historical context with contemporary trends, from royal pageantry and ancient emissaries to digital diplomacy and soft-power metrics, Beyond the Sword offers a multidimensional view of how states communicate not just what they are, but who they are.
In a time when credibility is currency and narratives shape policy, Beyond the Sword serves as both an archive and a forward-looking lens, providing insights that help policymakers, diplomats, and scholars engage meaningfully in an increasingly complex global arena.