Dr. Abdullah bin Musa Al Tayer
The availability of elements of success for the Riyadh Gulf Summit ensured its success at the level of representation and decisions; King Salman – may God protect them – contacted the leaders of the Gulf, and sent His Majesty the Foreign Minister a message to the leaders of his brothers, then His Majesty the Crown Prince’s historic journey from the Far South to all the countries of the Far North. It explains the pace of approval of the Riyadh statement and the decisions of the summit. As always, the maturity of the leaders created emotions and upbeat expectations and brought them back to the limits of perceived political realism. The summit statement focused on four principles embodied in King Salman’s Initiative for Gulf Action in 2015, the same ones that topped Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s speech at the summit’s inauguration.
Post-summit articles and analysis, some of them overly optimistic, a project to seize opportunities and a positive and optimistic atmosphere, others were highly pessimistic, a pessimism that relied on similar interpretations and interpretations of the wishes of those who The Council and its states followed the policies of the member countries of the Gulf. The gist of the opinion around which Gulf and others are converging is that the Council is moving slowly; It is an approach that enabled him to overcome the many obstacles that came in his way and the existential crises faced by him for the benefit of the Gulf countries and people. Therefore, emotional unity was not on its agenda, and member states pursuing their national interests at the expense of collective interests do not hinder the continuation of the Council’s work.
The approach formulated by the leaders determined the unity of the economic, security, social and political track, and when tested through years and adversities, and proved their tenacity, manifested the form of federal or federal unity, and became possible. Gulf leaders want unity to begin with a grassroots base and everything connected with it and serve it in terms of policies and achievements, not the political decisions imposed by summits on popular bases and weak federalist elements.
Member states have differences of interest, and differing perspectives in this multilateral forum, and this is a healthy phenomenon. Member states are accustomed to respecting policy discrimination, and make efforts to rationalize differences. This rational exercise in managing the various relations within the Gulf Cooperation Council counts in favor of the Gulf leadership. What does the GCC show the states in contrast to the reality of their cooperation and the success of their journey of over four decades?
Gulf discourse, whether elitist through mass media, or populist through social media platforms, sends turbulent signals that confuse the Council’s achievements and the results of its cumulative march. If the Council has achieved much, it can achieve more and more quickly, if it drafts a media charter of honour, or activates what exists, and acts calmly and firmly in the years to come. Dedicated to fulfill.
My perception of the elite and populist Gulf media discourse stems from the premise “I am the Gulf, and I am the Gulf.” Thus, what is issued by Qatari Al-Jazeera channels, for example, the GCC must deal with states that belong to the State of Qatar. and that Al-Arabiya Channel, Sky News Arabia, Al-Hadath, Al-Shark and other non-resident channels such as Al-Ghad, Al-Arabi 21, The Independent Arabic, and any channel financed in whole or in part by the Gulf State is nourished. Should do so.
The day we achieve a unified Gulf Media Code of Honor, we will contribute to supporting the Council’s institutional efforts with popular Gulf support and a unified media discourse. The Gulf Media Charter is not meant to be non-criticism. Rather, it means that the country from which it broadcasts or funds is criticized in the same way as it deals with the affairs of Gulf member states. . Creating or activating the Gulf Media Honor Code is not impossible, but creating the theory with the application will be a challenge that can be overcome with a firm political decision.
,