Ronald N. Levy

A fascinating PR challenge in the Middle East--so big a problem that it may be life-threatening to the royal families of our allies and even to terrorist leaders—is that flattery can start to sound credible. Leaders may believe their own newspaper clippings and TV takes.

What can be told to royal families and to terrorist leaders is that, "You are generous, wise and in all ways good but sorely misunderstood."

Leaders may believe, "Yes, we are," then resist proposed PR measures to strengthen national leadership and security. When a king or emir looks at how many hundreds of billions are in the portfolio, what gleaming skyscrapers have been erected plus how many billions worth of weapons are at the airport and arsenals, can we doubt that the national leader feels powerful and invincible?

But the former heads of Iran (Mohammad Mossedegh), Iraq (Saddam Hussein), Libya (Muammar Qadaffi), plus former heads of Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan and other countries are now gone, some of them killed. Yet people are inclined to believe flattery so we can understand that today's Middle East leaders, like some financial and corporate leaders, may feel immune from a similar fate.

It could happen if military leaders conspire and overthrow the government. Or if a future U.S. president is persuaded to back wannabe Arab leaders who say America is much less likely to become involved in a war over there if the royal families are replaced--perhaps peacefully--by democratically elected governments.

Just as Russia annexed Crimea when the people there said they'd rather be part of Russia instead of the Ukraine, what happens if Shi'ite Iran (an ally of Russia) announces it is annexing eastern Saudi Arabia (where the oil wells are) because the people there are Shi'ite but the rest of Saudi Arabia is Sunni? The Sunnis are hated by the Shi'ites the way Christians and Jews are hated by millions of Muslims. Would America say "No, Iran, don't annex eastern Saudi Arabia or America will fight?"

Skilled PR may prevent this from happening to our Middle East Allies.

PR Job #1 - Accurate Polling

What do world leaders, intelligence sources (which can be taped by some of Omnicom's world-class PR firms) and the media see as the PR perils and opportunities? PR geniuses like Penn, Schoen and Berland--and their counterparts with thrilling PR polling skills at other PR teams--can not only find out and tell it like it is but get pleasure (and a shocking hourly rate) from doing so.

PR Job #2 - Candid Presentation

The Arabs already employ some of he world's very best PR firms. What are the CHOICES of the royal families to head off trouble and to win an alliance with America the way America is allied with 28 countries of NATO? No one on earth will attack or try to annex an ally of America.

PR Job #3 - Take Action

This is the hardest one. Kings and senior princes should take action now instead of waiting for trouble by which time it may be too late.

* * *

Ron Levy is a veteran New York communications pro.