A Reading of Kuwaiti Media Performance During the Recent Gulf Crisis

 Modern wars are no longer decided on the battlefields alone; they are fought in parallel within the media sphere, social platforms, newsrooms globally, research centers, parliaments, and even inside the minds of international public opinion. Therefore, the news item, the image, the statement, verified information, and a coherent narrative have become an integral part of the national security system—no less important than military defense or cybersecurity.

The recent Gulf crisis, which witnessed a broad military confrontation between the United States and "Israel" on one side, and Iran on the other, revealed that the Gulf states were not merely affected militarily, economically, or at the civilian level; they were also subjected to a severe test in their ability to protect their national narrative against a flood of competing narratives.

Kuwait, by virtue of its geographical location and its political and humanitarian role, was one of the countries that found itself within the direct sphere of the crisis's impact; however, its media performance revealed a situation that warrants review.

The National Narrative Is Not an Electoral Campaign

One of the most prominent lessons revealed by the crisis is the confusion between professional political media and public or emotional discourse.

The national narrative is not an enthusiastic speech, an emotional debate, or an improvised defense before satellite cameras.

It is an integrated scientific process based on:

• Documented facts.
• Accurate data.
• Legal arguments.
• Historical knowledge.
• Understanding the target audience.
• Managing the state's mental image.

For this reason, major countries allocate entire units to what is known as "Strategic Communications," which work side by side with ministries of defense, foreign affairs, and national security agencies.

The Problem Is Not in the Number of Spokespersons... But in the Absence of a School of Thought

During the crisis, several Kuwaiti spokespersons emerged on Arab satellite channels. However, observers note that many of these appearances were characterized by several recurring features:

• Relying on emotion more than information.
• Weak utilization of numbers and documents.
• The absence of legal and international references.
• Shifting toward personal disputes.
• Poor advance preparation.
• Differing messages among spokespersons.
• The absence of a unified, central message.

The result was that the Kuwaiti narrative did not always appear with the same strength as the state's positions and policies on the ground.

Here, it must be emphasized that the problem lies not so much in the individuals as in the absence of a national framework for preparing spokespersons and managing media messaging during crises.

What Did Successful Countries Do?

The experiences of several countries have proven that building a national narrative requires institutions, not individual efforts.

First: Ukraine: Since 2022, Kyiv has relied on a centralized media message, a unified official discourse, and the utilization of daily data, maps, images, and multiple languages, along with a constant presence of civilian and military experts in international media.

Second: "Israel": Regardless of disagreement with its policies, it represents an advanced model in managing media narrative. It possesses a broad network of trained spokespersons, information centers, digital monitoring units, and multilingual content, in addition to a continuous presence in universities, think tanks, and international media.

Third: Britain during the Falklands War: The government established a unified media operations room that provided regular information and coordinated messages between the military, the government, and the Foreign Office, which limited contradictions and earned the official narrative greater credibility.

Fourth: Finland: It developed the concept of a "society resilient to disinformation," where officials, journalists, and even students are trained on how to handle external influence campaigns. Thus, resisting disinformation became part of national security.

Where Is the Official Media?

Official media in Kuwait still possesses great potential, but it needs to transition from traditional news media to strategic media.

In times of crisis, a press release alone is no longer sufficient; rather, the state requires:

• Fast visual content.
• Interactive maps.
• Updated data.
• Short videos.
• Professional spokespersons.
• Multilingual content.
• Digital campaigns directed at foreign public opinion.

The narrative that arrives first is often the narrative that people believe.

Popular Media?

Kuwaiti social media platforms witnessed broad activity, but it largely remained reactive rather than proactive.

The digital sphere is not managed by emotion, but by algorithms, reach, and impact. This requires professional teams for monitoring, analysis, content creation, and rapid response, while maintaining credibility and adherence to the law.

Toward a National Center for Strategic Narrative

Perhaps the time has come to think about a new national project that could bear the name: "The Kuwaiti Center for Strategic Communications and National Narrative."

This center would undertake tasks such as:

• Preparing the national narrative during crises.
• Training official and unofficial spokespersons.
• Preparing a national information bank.
• Establishing a global media monitoring unit.
• Producing professional, multilingual content.
• Cooperating with universities and research centers.
• Developing indicators to measure the impact of media messages.
• Building a network of Kuwaiti experts capable of representing the state in international media.

A national program could also be established to accredit media spokespersons, subjecting participants to training in international law, crisis management, persuasion, data analysis, debates, and strategic communication prior to representing the Kuwaiti narrative on international platforms.

Media... A Front of National Security

Modern crises have proven that defending the homeland is not limited to the soldier guarding the borders, the diplomat negotiating, or the security officer maintaining stability alone; it extends to those who possess the ability to present a documented, coherent, and persuasive national narrative.

Kuwait possesses great political, moral, and humanitarian capital in the region, but this capital requires a media system capable of transforming it into an influential global discourse.

In an era of hybrid warfare, a word backed by truth and data may be more influential than many other tools of conflict. While armies protect borders, strategic media protects image, legitimacy, and trust—assets no less valuable in the equations of contemporary national security (1).

• Tags: Kuwait Media, Gulf Crisis, Strategic Communications, National Narrative, Mohammad Salem Al-Rashed, Kuwait National Security