Understanding ‘Neo-Orientalist’ Narratives in Western Media

 Islam Zween

By Islam Zween

 
The statement, “The Gulf lacks arable land and water for irrigation, and it relies heavily on food imports,” is not my view but a characterization I read in a recent article published by a prominent Western media outlet.

This is just one example of how our region has been portrayed in countless of articles in Western media, entrenching stereotypical and ignorant (perhaps on purpose) views of our region.
 
Let’s take another one. “Saudi Arabia needs to bring in foreign capital to continue spending." Such a statement, again in a recent article published by a prominent Western media outlet that helps shape the Western investors’ perception of the world not just our region, encourages critical thinking on how seemingly straightforward economic statements in a supposedly ‘impartial’ journalistic outlet may carry subtle ideological and politically-motivated meanings.
 
These two portrayals of Saudi economy and the Arabian Gulf reflect a systematic and common narrative found in Western discourse regarding, which I refer to in this article as ‘neo-orientalism.’
 
This concept builds upon Edward Said’s seminal theory of Orientalism, which critiques how Western representations have historically constructed and perpetuated stereotypical and often reductive images of the ‘Orient’ to serve certain interests in the West.
 
By largely ignoring in their ‘analytical’ pieces strong and factual economic indicators like the expansion in Saudi non-oil sectors over the past years, especially manufacturing, mining and renewable energy, these narratives perpetuate outdated assumptions that fail to reflect the selfdependent modernity in Saudi Arabia and its evolving economy.
 
This selective reporting thus reveals a tendency to understate or sideline substantive economic achievements that do not fit their preconceived frames.
 
Factual data speaks louder than words. The Saudi real GDP growth from non-oil activities reached 3.9% in 2024, driven by continued investment expansion in the non-oil sectors.
 
These sectors contributed last year with 51% to Saudi Arabia’s economy, marking a literally historic achievement in the Kingdom’s e_orts to develop the non-oil sector since the launch of Vision 2030 in 2016.
 
Non-oil GDP remained resilient at 4.2% y/y growth in Q1 this year. Non-oil activities expanding robustly by 4.3%, while non-oil exports surged 13.4% y/y.
 
In March, manufacturing output surged by 5.1% y/y. This pattern highlights both the sector’s growing importance to non-oil GDP. Oil income accounted for just 56% of total government revenues in Q1 2025 (before the eruption of large-scale military confrontation between Israel and Iran on June 12), down from 62% a year earlier.
 
An objective analysis of these data suggests that such genuine economic progress in the kingdom challenges the prevalent neo-orientalist discourse often found in some Western media narratives.
 
Neo-orientalism tends to emphasize dependency, dysfunction and mismanagement in our region while minimizing or overlooking positive developments.
 
With mineral reserves now estimated at SR9.37 trillion ($2.5 trillion), a 90 percent increase since 2016 due to new discoveries of rare earth elements and other valuable resources, Saudi Arabia exhibits clear potential to expand beyond oil dependence.
 
Additionally, the construction of the world’s largest single-site solar power plant in the kingdom, anticipated to generate 2,060 megawatts by 2025, signifies a strategic commitment to renewable energy and the strategic planning to become a hub of electricity exporter to the region and Europe.
 
The proactive push to integrate global tech companies (like the recent Chinese Lenovo) into local manufacturing further reflects a forward-looking economic vision.
 
I argue that Western media coverage in their ‘analysis’ and ‘in-depth reporting’ is rooted in a neoorientalist framework, which overlook these multifaceted advances, while instead emphasizing government budget deficit related to declining oil revenues.
 
Such emphasis on fiscal challenges, without equal attention to diversification e_orts and resource development, limits the depth of economic analysis and reflect political motivations in shaping a simplified narrative to their readers.
 
A more comprehensive perspective would consider both the challenges and the substantive initiatives underway, thus providing a balanced understanding of our region.
 
Today, old Orientalism has been dressed up and made to look new, like a smart business suit hiding the same old stereotypes and oversimplification.