Three-pronged attack on the Kingdom — why now?

Saudi Arabia is presently the victim of an organized media campaign on both the regional level and in the Western world. The pace of the media attacks has recently intensified. Reports based on vicious anti-Saudi propaganda have been used to suggest illogical internal scenarios in the Kingdom.
Many have described the campaign as fierce. Dr. Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, tweeted: “Saudi Arabia is facing a frenzied campaign in the regional, US and European media. This campaign is much stronger than the mere criticism that we have been used to in the past. It has assumed far more significant proportions. It is a carefully orchestrated campaign, not at all coincidental. We should seek to discover its purposes and who exactly is behind it.”
The campaign comes from three sides. First, from the pro-Iranian voices in the Arab world which march to Iran’s orders and in harmony with Tehran’s position. The known bias of these voices limits their credibility and thus their influence on their audience.
There are also Arab nationalists who hold long-time grudges against Saudi Arabia. Instead of standing by the Kingdom for its heroic stance in Yemen which aims at protecting the Arabs and their dignity, those people have forsaken all the views they should have held. And sadly, as opposed to challenging foreign intervention and occupation, they have put themselves on the wrong side of history.
Iran has expanded its influence in the Arab world; its military roams Baghdad and its militias fight in the heart of the Umayyad capital as if that were its right. The very one who used to slam foreign intervention which the Gulf is struggling against now supports Russian intervention in Syria and so clearly exposes both its inconsistency and lack of conscience.
We suddenly discover that principles change according to interests rather than values. Those who claim that they are Arabs and mouth slogans of Arabism and nationalism have evidently forgotten that Israel is violating the Al-Aqsa Mosque in addition to injuring women and children. They change the empty slogans, forgetting what is happening in Jerusalem and directing their criticism at Saudi Arabia.
It is strange to have an Arab standing with a country leading a proxy war, instigating sectarian conflicts in the region and expanding its area of influence in Arab countries. Yet some people still turn that way and criticize Saudi Arabia. The media campaign has noticeably intensified during the successes of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. As some say, the more painful it is, the louder the scream.
The second campaign has come from the British media which has attacked the Kingdom. The sentence of the British citizen, Karl Andree, who was accused of making alcohol, fueled the British campaign. The Times of London ran a series of articles that attacked the Kingdom while The Independent published an article entitled, “Saudi, the Emperor of Evil, Is the West’s Real Enemy.” The article slammed the Kingdom, saying it backed terror and supported Sunni Islam which creates terror.
The Guardian has also published completely inaccurate reports about the internal situation in the Kingdom. Ironically, some of these reports were written by reporters based in Cairo or Cyprus who have never visited the Kingdom. What adds to the irony is that these stories coincided with additional ones coming from a third side, the American media.
The Washington Post has published more than one anti-Saudi story, quoting undocumented sources which contradict the basic rules of professionalism in the US media. American news channels attacked Saudi Arabia and its internal situation. The most recent of these was on CNN’s GPS in which Saudi Arabia was attacked and criticized in more than one broadcast.
These reports — all at the same time and with very similar content — make us wonder about their timings. Despite my desire not to imagine any kind of conspiracy, certain questions are valid and do arise.
Our Arab cousins need to consider the attacks on the Kingdom. Throughout history, the Arabs have had internal disputes but there were always red lines regardless of the political situation.
Saudi Arabia is definitely experiencing a violent media campaign. Clearly, Operation Decisive Storm took many people by surprise and it is thus natural that many had unexpected responses. This was particularly true given the success of the Gulf coalition which drew its strength from the unshakeable strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Saudi Arabia has always been strong and united in spite of campaigns and attempts to stir conflict and sow dissension. The Gulf system is, however, a safety valve for all Gulf countries with their unity guaranteeing security and stability.