26/03/2026
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26/03/2026
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Iran’s attack on the Gulf states deserves unequivocal condemnation. There should be no hesitation in rejecting it, no attempt to soften its brutality, and no ambiguity about what it represents. It’s a direct assault on regional security and stability. But condemning the attack is one thing. Expressing surprise at the uneven Arab reaction to it is another. Not every difference in Arab rhetoric, priorities, or degree of engagement reflects a lack of fairness or belonging, as some would suggest. In many cases, it is the product of a political and media memory that has never been seriously examined, and of years of rhetoric and policy choices that weakened confidence in the consistency of the Gulf position in the Middle East.
Arab public memory is not a blank page. From the 2017 blockade of Qatar, and the criminalization of sympathy toward it, to the economic and diplomatic punishment of Lebanon in 2021, to normalization agreements that many Arabs saw as a break from long-standing Gulf consensus, a pattern accumulated. For many across the Arab world, the message was clear; solidarity is demanded when the Gulf needs it, but not always extended. That history matters.
disputes were too often allowed to spill into media incitement, sweeping judgments against entire societies, and rhetoric marked less by fairness than by scolding and vindication. Such messages do not disappear when a crisis ends. They linger in public memory and resurface when a new crisis erupts and collective solidarity is suddenly expected.
None of these excuses Iran, nor does it blur the line between aggressor and victim. Responsibility for the crime lies first with the one who committed it. But anyone seeking broader Arab solidarity against Iran must also confront the ugly, realistic political and media environments that helped erode trust long before this moment. Consensus cannot be summoned by outrage alone. It must be rebuilt through credibility, consistency, and an honest reckoning with the reflection of past doings.
By Abdulaziz Al-Anjeri
