Public Relations in the Middle East: The Case of Saudi Arabia

Public relations has entered a new era in the Arab world. In the minds of many, Arab nations use public relations as a “weapon” to achieve political goals. The 1991 Gulf War, pitting the United States and its allies against Iraq, provided many examples. Hiebert (1991) noted that without “smart public relations” techniques on the part of Arab allies, America’s “smart bombs” would not have achieved their objectives.