Saudi Arabia vs Iran: Beyond the Sunni-Shia narrative

We look at the Saudi-Iran crisis reflected in the media; plus, US elections and "horse race journalism".


The long-running conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran reached new heights this week after the kingdom severed diplomatic relations with Tehran.

The diplomatic rupture, which has heightened tensions in the Middle East, came after Saudi executed 47 people on January 2, including a prominent Shia cleric - Nimr al-Nimr.

Within hours of the death sentence being carried out, Iranian protesters ransacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and started fires.

Iranian media had depicted Nimr as a peaceful dissident, and the execution as a provocative act. In Saudi Arabia, the national security narrative prevailed - Nimr's execution was justified as part of its "war on terrorism".

The coverage in both countries and the international media, has since played up a sectarian divide - one that pits Sunni versus Shia - however this simplified binary fails to address the larger geopolitical issues involved.