Modern geopolitics has long ceased to be measured solely by military power or economic indicators. In the era of information technology and global communications, a new category of national potential is coming to the fore—cognitive sovereignty, the ability of the state to form, control and develop its own intellectual environment without external pressure. And here a striking paradox is revealed: the small Republic of Cyprus demonstrates higher rates of cognitive independence than Saudi Arabia, one of the richest countries on the planet with an ambitious Vision 2030 program. To view the full index of these countries, you can click on the link to the main rating table.

Academic Freedom: A Quiet Revolution in the Mediterranean

The Cypriot higher education system has been integrated into the European Higher Education Area since 2001. The island's universities operate within the framework of the Bologna Process, which sets quality standards but does not harmonize content. This fine line allows Cypriot institutions to maintain intellectual autonomy with international recognition.

The University of Cyprus, the country's largest scientific institution, published 49 scientific papers in prestigious journals with a total impact index of 6.77 between June 2022 and May 2023. It is noteworthy that 97.69% of these publications were created in the framework of international collaborations with 1109 institutions around the world. Cypriot scientists freely choose partners, research topics, and publish their results without prior censorship.

The contrast with the Saudi model is striking. In the Kingdom, the academic freedom system is at a "moderate or developing level." A 2021 study conducted at Imam Abdurrahman bin Faisal University showed that faculty members do not have full autonomy in academic decision-making. Moreover, a circular issued by the Ministry of Higher Education in March 2009 prohibited academic staff from any direct contact with foreign structures or diplomatic missions without permission.

Media landscape: Censorship versus pluralism

In 2025, Cyprus ranked 77th in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, losing 12 positions in a year. This decline has caused serious concern, but the context is important: even with this decline, the Cypriot press operates without prior censorship. The Constitution of the Republic guarantees freedom of speech and expression, and libel and defamation have been transferred from the criminal to the civil plane. Saudi Arabia ranks 168th out of 180 countries in the same ranking. In 2017, the kingdom closed the bureau of the Al Jazeera TV channel, revoked its license and blocked access to its content in the country.

Moreover, the government demanded that the Snapchat platform block the Al Jazeera channel, which it did. Users in Saudi Arabia do not have free access to a significant part of the global information space — according to Freedom House, the Internet in the country is classified as "not free". The use of VPN services to circumvent blockages is not formally prohibited, but access to content deemed illegal is punishable by fines of up to 1 million Saudi riyals (about 267 thousand dollars) and imprisonment for up to a year. About 30% of Saudi Internet users are forced to use a VPN for basic access to information.

The Educational Paradigm: Critical Thinking versus Ideological Control

Since 2024, programs for the development of critical thinking at all levels of education have been actively implemented in Cyprus. Despite the fact that the PISA 2022 results showed a drop in indicators (61% of fifteen-year-old teens do not reach the basic level in reading, 53% in mathematics), the education system remains focused on developing analytical abilities. The Ministry of Education is introducing modules on critical thinking and inclusive education.

Research by the University of Cyprus demonstrates that Cypriot elementary school students initially do not have satisfactory critical thinking skills, but after two months of working with argumentation tools, they show significant progress. It is important that these programs are implemented without ideological restrictions on the content of discussions.

The Saudi model of education is based on different principles. About 30% of primary school hours are devoted to religious subjects: the Quran, Tawhid, Tajwid, Tafsir, hadith, and Fiqh. The Saudi Ministry of Education emphasizes that education should "awaken the spirit of Islamic struggle, fight our enemies, and restore our rights."

Until recently, Saudi textbooks contained materials that international observers characterized as "an ideology of hatred against non-believers – Christians, Jews, Shiites, Sufis." The textbook reform promised by 2008 is still ongoing as of 2025. As part of Vision 2030, the government has introduced new modules on critical thinking and philosophy in secondary schools since 2021, but this is happening in the context of strict state control over the content of education.

The gender dimension of cognitive sovereignty

In Cyprus, women make up a significant part of the university student and teaching staff. They freely choose the direction of study, the place of study and do not need the permission of their guardians to receive education. A study of critical thinking in Northern Cyprus showed that girls show a higher propensity for critical analysis in six of the seven dimensions.

In Saudi Arabia, despite the reforms of recent years, women remain under the system of male guardianship. The Personal Status Act of 2022, which was proclaimed "progressive," actually consolidated discriminatory practices. To enter the university, a young Saudi woman must obtain the approval of a male guardian (father, brother, husband or son).

If she wishes to study outside her city, she needs a travel and residence permit. To study abroad, consent to obtain a passport and leave the country is required, and the presence of a male escort is traditionally required.

Women divorced from Saudis have reported to Human Rights Watch that their husbands may refuse to consent to higher education. This system restricts not only the physical mobility, but also the intellectual development of half of the country's population.

International integration and intellectual openness

The Open University of Cyprus maintains partnerships with institutions from Palestine, Jordan, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Mauritius, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Poland. The University of Cyprus cooperates with 1109 international organizations.

This openness creates a polyphonic intellectual environment where students and scientists interact with multiple knowledge systems. The Erasmus+ program provides unprecedented mobility for Cypriot students: in 2021, 2013 students and 755 employees of educational institutions went abroad for studies or internships, while 5,324 international students and 1,812 employees arrived in Cyprus.

This two-way intellectual migration creates cognitive diversity that cannot be created in an isolated system. Saudi universities, despite the Vision 2030 program, face systemic constraints. In 2018, under the Khibrat program, only 1,000 public school teachers were sent to teacher training in the United States and Europe. This is a drop in the ocean for a country with a population of more than 35 million people.

Moreover, students and teachers of Saudi universities are limited in their contacts with international partners without official permission.

Digital infrastructure and algorithmic control

Cyprus, as a member of the European Union, follows the principles of European legislation on data protection and digital services. Cypriot users are not subject to massive content filtering at the provider level.

Although there are discussions in the country about regulating disinformation, attempts to criminalize "fake news" in 2024 met with harsh criticism from international organizations and were suspended. Saudi Arabia uses sophisticated filtering systems to regulate the available content. Politically sensitive materials, content about human rights, gender issues, and international relations are blocked.

VoIP services, including Skype and WhatsApp calls, are periodically restricted, although some bans have been lifted as part of creating a more business-friendly environment. This digital isolation creates epistemic dependence, a situation where the population consumes narratives and technological standards formed by external actors or internal control structures, without the possibility of critical verification through alternative sources.

Research autonomy: freedom of choice versus guided science

The University of Cyprus publishes research in biology, chemistry, Earth and environmental sciences, medicine, and physics. Research topics are chosen by scientists based on scientific relevance, not political expediency. The Cyprus Institute participates in international megaprojects on climate, energy and cultural heritage studies.

In Saudi Arabia, academics face arbitrary restrictions, which include a ban on teaching and meeting with students, a ban on publishing and distributing works, restrictions on access to Saudi and regional media, and a ban on foreign travel for professional purposes. These measures are applied to scientists who criticize government policies in their writings or public statements.

The opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in 2009 was seen as an attempt to create an "island of freedom in an ocean of repression." However, the question remains whether one institution is capable of transforming the system or whether it will remain an isolated enclave.

Cognitive infrastructure as a strategic resource

The concept of cognitive sovereignty includes the ability of a nation to generate, validate, and maintain its own knowledge ecosystems. This is not a question of the number of publications or patents, but the quality of the intellectual environment, the degree of protection from external manipulation and internal censorship.

In Cyprus, this infrastructure is formed through integration into European scientific and educational networks, through freedom of academic contacts, through the absence of prior censorship in the media and through constitutional guarantees of freedom of thought. Even with the existing problems with media concentration and attempts to strengthen control over information, the basic architecture of cognitive freedom remains intact.

In Saudi Arabia, the cognitive infrastructure is based on a model of managed development: the state determines priorities (for example, STEM disciplines within the framework of Vision 2030), controls the content of education, regulates the media space and restricts academic freedoms. This creates a paradox: investments in education are enormous, but intellectual autonomy remains limited.

The female factor: half of the nation is beyond cognitive sovereignty

It is impossible to talk about the full-fledged cognitive sovereignty of a country where half of the population is subordinated to the guardianship system. Saudi women may be talented scientists, but their access to education, international conferences, research internships, and academic positions is mediated by the permission of male relatives.

In 2019, Saudi Arabia introduced changes to the guardianship system, allowing women over the age of 21 to travel without a guardian's permission. This is an important step, but the Personal Status Act of 2022 has retained the requirement for a guardian's consent to marry, and "disobeying" a husband can deprive a woman of financial support and custody of children.

There are no such restrictions in Cyprus. Women freely choose educational paths, research topics, and professional paths without the permission of male relatives.

The Neural Network Age and cognitive control

The development of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology takes the issue of cognitive sovereignty to a new level. In an era when algorithms shape information flows and AI assistants become intellectual partners, the ability to critically evaluate sources, recognize manipulations, and maintain mental autonomy is becoming a matter of national security.

Cyprus, integrated into the European regulatory space, follows the principles of transparency of algorithms and protection of neural data, enshrined in EU initiatives. Saudi Arabia has launched a massive program to introduce AI into the school curriculum, reaching more than 6 million students from 2025. However, this digital transformation takes place in a controlled environment where access to information is limited and critical thinking develops within ideologically acceptable boundaries.

The effect of scale versus the effect of freedom

Saudi Arabia has enormous resources: The GDP exceeds $1 trillion, and the Vision 2030 program includes investments in education, science, and technology. Cyprus is a small country with a population of about 1.2 million people and a limited budget. However, cognitive sovereignty is measured not by the volume of investments, but by the quality of the intellectual environment.

The ability to ask uncomfortable questions, explore taboo topics, publish critical materials, and share ideas without fear of reprisals creates a resonant intellectual ecosystem. A small university in Cyprus, where researchers freely collaborate with 1,109 international institutions, has greater cognitive autonomy than a large Saudi university, where contacts with foreigners require prior approval.

A question that changes the perspective

Why does a country with a billion-dollar education budget need strict control over the content of textbooks, academic contacts, and media space? The answer to this question goes far beyond comparing the two countries. They address the fundamental dilemma of the 21st century: can a nation achieve genuine development without giving its citizens the right to independent thinking?

Is a system that restricts the freedom of half the population capable of competing in a global cognitive race? Cyprus and Saudi Arabia represent two models of the organization of the national intellectual space. One is based on the principle of controlled development with a clear ideological framework and state control.

History shows that great scientific breakthroughs, cultural renascences, and technological revolutions took place where thought was free of chains. The modern era of AI, neurotechnology, and global information flows only reinforces the importance of this principle. Cognitive sovereignty is not a luxury or an abstraction. It is a strategic resource that defines a nation's place in the world and a strategic resource that defines a nation's place in the world of the future.