Saudi Arabia's cyber diplomacy

In a deeply polarised arena, the kingdom is carving out its niche in global cybersecurity cooperation

One does not usually count Saudi Arabia among the leading countries in cyberspace, and yet it is making impressive advances in the domain. For the second year running, it ranks second in the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) Global Cybersecurity Index.

The Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), hosted by the country, is an annual international conference bringing governments, businesses, and cyber experts from across the world to deliberate on a whole range of issues associated with cybersecurity, including the technical, political, social, and even philosophical dimensions relevant to it. The forum was set up in 2021 during Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the