Our Story... No One Will Write It
In times of war, states do not fight battles solely on the military battlefield, but also in the arena of consciousness. Modern wars are fought with both weapons and narratives, and those who succeed in imposing their version of events possess a significant portion of the elements of power.
For decades, Iran has relied on a narrative that is far removed from reality yet internally coherent. It is built on the systematic repetition of specific messages, even if they are false, presenting itself as an oppressed state while it is the oppressor, and claiming to be the protector of the Islamic nation while causing the most harm to Muslim countries. It portrays any confrontation it engages in as legitimate self-defense, despite its treachery and war crimes against its neighbors. Notably, there is a disciplined approach to producing, repeating, and exporting this narrative across various political, media, and cultural platforms.
In contrast, the Gulf discourse often appears reactive whenever Iran and its proxies overstep their bounds, rather than being a comprehensive, proactive project. We frequently confine ourselves to refuting the opposing narrative without taking the initiative to produce our own. We fail to invest in documenting our national memory or presenting our narrative to new generations and the international public, despite a history replete with Iran’s and its agents’ treachery.
Iran possessed a (false) narrative and was prepared to export it, whereas we have not adequately prepared for such moments. We have not even leveraged artistic works that documented painful episodes in our history, which were linked to Iran-backed organizations, for dramatic or documentary purposes, driven by a desire to move past the past and look toward the future.
Furthermore, Gulf states, at various stages, preferred policies of containment and de-escalation, hoping to build more stable relations. However, it has become clear today that Iran is an ambitious state that feeds on destruction. As our countries face direct security threats targeting our internal security, infrastructure, and civilian population, we find ourselves under an urgent necessity to reconstruct our strategic discourse with a continuous methodology that reflects our security priorities and national vision, and prioritizes our security concerns and anxieties.
By this, we mean a clear Gulf media strategy that does not merely respond to competing narratives but establishes an independent Gulf narrative, rooted in the interests, history, and security experiences of Gulf states, free from replicating others’ projects or being subordinate to their priorities. A state that does not write its own narrative will have it written for it by others.
