Time has cycles, and the cycles of time lift states and bring down others, and here we recall Ibn Khaldun’s description of the movement of states; he says: States rise up then collapse, and are replaced by others. The cycle then repeats itself. Historical cycles, all of them, are similar in their start and fate; the replacement is always a new state that repeats the same role, and meets the same fate. This is the end of Ibn Khaldun’s statement.

But there are those who do not want to recognize the cycles of time, one of them was a deputy in the British House of Commons in 1985, I heard him requesting Prime Minister of the British government to hold Japan accountable because the balance of payments was in favor of Japan. He demanded in a condescending language that the government should bridge the gap in that balance in favor of Great Britain. Indeed, a delegation from the British government went to Japan then when they returned to their country results of the visit appeared in practice — British television showed Japanese wrestling every week and the balance of payments increased in favor of Tokyo.  Japan’s message was clear that Japan was greater than Britain in 1985 and that Britain has come to resemble Libya with its fondness for labels.

Today, about forty years after that lesson, we in the Gulf have still not learned its meaning . Today, we are emerging nations with the strength of youth and a strong economy. We just need leadership that forgets the recent past and remembers the distant past — the past when we were at the top of the pyramid of the world’s civilization. Those of us who believe the European media, especially the English media, still believe their claims of medical discoveries, artificial intelligence and modern technologies, despite the knowledge of real scientists that the English are late in this field.

We wish to increase confidence in our scientists and doctors, search for modern developed countries, strengthen cooperation with them, and leave the old countries that still live on the memory of the past and wear the stolen crowns as an attempt to turn back the wheel of time.