Al-Nuaim: Do not confuse Gulf achievements with the region's failures
Former Minister of Information and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al-Nahar newspaper, Sami Abdul Latif Al-Nisf, affirmed that Gulf countries have achieved developmental and civilizational accomplishments that have contributed to building their image globally, while warning against conflating the Gulf experience with the conflicts, wars, and developmental failures witnessed in some other countries in the region.
Speaking after his participation in a panel discussion at the “Security and History Dialogue” conference held at the Culture Palace in the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh, Al-Nisf stated that the session discussed how to leverage media to improve the Gulf’s image worldwide, with participation from several Gulf speakers. He clarified that he does not see a genuine problem with the reputation of Gulf countries and peoples abroad, attributing this to what he described as the wisdom of their leadership, their balanced relations with their own peoples and the world, their orientation toward peace, and the development and achievements they have realized, which advanced societies can evaluate and observe.
Al-Nisf noted that the issue arises when the accomplishments of Gulf countries are lumped together with the failures of some regional countries that suffered under dictatorships, conflicts, and civil wars, leading to declines in education, health, security, and development. He emphasized that the greatest need for image improvement, in his view, lies with the experiences that transitioned from conflicts to wars and destruction, stressing the importance of shifting from destruction to reconstruction, from war to peace, and from failure to success.
In a special interview with Al-Nisf during the “Security and History Dialogue 2026” conference, moderated by Omani journalist Yousef Al-Houti, Al-Nisf reiterated that the distorted reading of our contemporary history, and the acceptance of turning defeats into victories and failing leaders into triumphant ones in our Arab and Islamic environment, paves the way for repeating setbacks and collapses, transforming many Arab capital cities into failed states.
He said, “One indicator of the need to correct the erroneous path of our Arab history is that the defeats of the Arab nation are exact replicas of one another. Similarly, the subsequent failed revolutionary leaders are mere copies, shadows, and distortions of their predecessors, yet fake media transformed them into ‘heroes of the Arab nation.’”
He added, “The true heroes are the Gulf rulers who unified their countries, brought security, safety, and prosperity to their peoples, and achieved high development indicators that approximated or surpassed those of the First World, thereby making their peoples happy and finding happiness in them.”
He concluded, “I am pleased that the hall was filled with diplomats, academics, and enthusiasts, as well as young men and women who represent the hope and bright future of the nation, and who are in dire need of an accurate reading of past events to protect them against the efforts of history falsifiers seeking to sabotage the present and future of the Arab nation, just as they destroyed the past in their own countries.”
