360° Coverage : Al Jazeera’s fluctuating fortunes (Comment: Special to IANS)
Al Jazeera’s fluctuating fortunes (Comment: Special to IANS)
Aug 23 2013, 8:22am CDT | by IANS
Saudi Arabia and Qatar fell out because they supported conflicting interests primarily in Egypt. Elsewhere too – Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Gaza (Hamas). But their coming together in any case was for limited tactical reasons: to stall the Arab Spring. The big asset the Qataris brought to the union, hurriedly put together, was the incomparable credibility of their TV channel, Al Jazeera.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar fell out because they supported conflicting interests primarily in Egypt. Elsewhere too – Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Gaza (Hamas). But their coming together in any case was for…
Filed under: news
Advertisement
Tweets
[John] John Lennon on The David Frost Show 1969 part 1.webm t.co/XGk6wM1Xrk John Lennon on The David Frost Show 1969 part 1．webm．
— BeatlesTube 1 hour 38 min ago.
[John] John Lennon on The David Frost Show 1969 part 1.webm t.co/CuDX05hHVd John Lennon on The David Frost Show 1969 part 1．webm．
— BeatlesTube 1 hour 38 min ago.
[John] John Lennon on The David Frost Show 1969 part 1.webm t.co/FwOjnXfekz John Lennon on The David Frost Show 1969 part 1．webm．
— BeatlesTube 1 hour 38 min ago.
RT @halvorson: This is the best photo you will see in your entire life. RT @brad_frost: Sitting behind David Byrne at the airport! t…
— postpunkpete 2 hours 3 min ago.
11 hours ago
Quote:
“Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan are all talented actors, with Frost and Freeman particularly skilled in comedy, and together the five principals create the sense of men who have known each other for many years. The banter is effortless; the comedy flows.”
Source: Los Angeles Times
Currently Trending
- Linda Ronstadt
- Rashida Jones
- Ben Affleck
- Rush Limbaugh
- Elisabeth Hasselbeck
- Katt Williams
- Fifty Shades of Grey
- Elizabeth Olsen
- Celebrity Big Brother
- Danny Spond
- Ichiro Suzuki
- Bradley Manning
- David Cassidy
- Survivor Series
- Lily Tomlin
- Angela Merkel
- Kym Johnson
- Olivia Newton-John
- Harley-Davidson
- Rizzoli & Isles
- Lady Antebellum
- Bruce Jenner
- Hulk Hogan
- Stevie Nicks
- Grace Kelly
- Sean Hannity
- Calvin Harris
- Robin Thicke
- Scott Disick
- Gia Allemand Death
- Lisa Kudrow
- Teresa Giudice
- Obama
- Judge Judy
- Aaron Paul
- Adele
- Alyssa Milano
- Amanda Bynes
- Amanda Seyfried
- Amelia Earhart
- American Idol
- Angelina Jolie
- Arsenio Hall
- Asiana Airlines
- Beyonce
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Britney Spears
- Bruce Willis
- Carlos Danger
- Caro Quintero
- Carrie Underwood
- Curt Schilling
- Danny DeVito
- Dave Matthews
- Deontay Wilder
- Diane Kruger
- Downton Abbey
- Droid Maxx
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Emma Roberts
- George Zimmerman
- Harry Belafonte
- Helen Mirren
- Henry Cavill
- Idris Elba
- James DiMaggio
- Jennifer Aniston
- Jennifer Garner
- John Henry
- John Stamos
- Julian Assange
- Karen Black
- Kate Middleton
- Katherine Heigl
- Kendall Jenner
- Kerry Washington
- Kourtney Kardashian
- Lauren Silverman
- Lea Michele
- Mariah Carey
- Megyn Kelly
- Mick Jagger
- Mila Kunis
- Miley Cyrus
- Mona Lisa
- Monica Lewinsky
- Nelson Mandela
- Niall Horan
- One Direction
- Paul McCartney
- Phoenix Coyotes
- Prince William
- Rihanna
- Rita Ora
- Royal Baby
- Sandra Oh
- Sarah Palin
- Selma Blair
- Simon Cowell
- Sons of Anarchy
- Stevie Wonder
- The Bachelorette
- The Conjuring
- The Expendables 3
- Tina Turner
- Trayvon Martin
- Tulisa Contostavlos
- Tyra Banks
- William Perry
- Willie Robertson
Recommended
20 hours ago
Al Jazeera’s fluctuating fortunes (Comment: Special to IANS)
Aug 23 2013, 8:22am CDT | by IANS
Saudi Arabia and Qatar fell out because they supported conflicting interests primarily in Egypt. Elsewhere too – Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Gaza (Hamas). But their coming together in any case was for limited tactical reasons: to stall the Arab Spring. The big asset the Qataris brought to the union, hurriedly put together, was the incomparable credibility of their TV channel, Al Jazeera.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar fell out because they supported conflicting interests primarily in Egypt. Elsewhere too – Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Gaza (Hamas). But their coming together in any case was for limited tactical reasons: to stall the Arab Spring. The big asset the Qataris brought to the union, hurriedly put together, was the incomparable credibility of their TV channel, Al Jazeera.
Qatar launched Al Jazeera, initially only in Arabic. Later, superior retirees from the BBC like Sir David Frost were enlisted to launch its English service.
In February 1991, a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, CNN inaugurated the era of global TV by covering Operation Desert Storm, bringing to the world’s drawing rooms, on live TV, the defeat of an Arab country. The BBC World Service TV was launched in April of that year.
If a nation is at war, its media will automatically become part of the war effort. Since, the US and its allies have been in a state of conflict almost continuously since Operation Desert Storm, BBC and CNN have had to pay a price for their unbroken spell of patriotism. Their credibility has plummeted, particularly in Muslim countries.
Even when the US or NATO were not involved in a conflict, the sanitized coverage of, say, the Bosnian war or the two Intefadas impacted differently on Muslim and non-Muslim audiences worldwide.
Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations would have remained a dark prophecy had the global media, BBC and CNN, not excavated deep along the civilizational fault lines to give it credence. After 9/11, and the manner in which the war on terror was conducted and covered, divided the world totally.
It was during this period that the Muslim Brotherhood grew exponentially in Egypt; Nekmetin Arbakan’s Islamist Refah party came to power in Turkey. The Kemalist army snuffed him out, just as the Egyptian army has snuffed out Mohamed Morsi. Teyyep Erdogan and Abdullah Gul are Arbakan’s spiritual descendents but packaged for a secular, Kemalist constitution. On them later.
Much more than the one sided coverage of conflicts, the anger among Muslims was on account of a suffocating absence from their TV screens of views they could identify with.
This was an enormous gap which Al Jazeera stepped in to fill. Its coverage was professional and thorough exposing BBC and CNN as vehicles of Western propaganda. Its viewership crossed 65 million in the early stages of the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq.
A rattled Western war machine bombed its offices in Kabul and Baghdad. The channel’s credibility was sky high when it telecast Osama bin Laden’s taped interviews. This kind of “scooping” was so totally against the current that a question mark did stick to its image.
Then came the Arab Spring. In February 2011, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia mobilized the monarchies, sheikhdoms and Emirates to join hands first in Libya and then in Syria to affect regime change. Otherwise, Peoples Power would consume the monarchies, including the Emir of Qatar.
That is when the Al Jazeera’s enormous credibility was placed at the disposal of less than credible military operations in the two theatres – Libya and Syria. Somewhat carried away by his role in the region, the Emir began to play a larger role linking the Brothers in Egypt, Gaza (Hamas), Turkey, Syria and Tunisia. He stepped on Saudi toes by trying to mediate between Afghan groups.
If there is one group the Saudis suspect more than Iran and Shiaism, it is the Muslim Brotherhood. Iran is an outside power. Brothers are available even within Saudi society and they are opposed to monarchies.
So, the coffers of the House of Saud have been opened for Gen. Abdel Fattah el Sisi to break the back of the Brothers. Al Jazeera, which became a mouthpiece for the Brothers during the year that Morsi was in power, is in the process of packing up its bags in Egypt.
Just when Al Jazeera’s partisan coverage in Libya, Syria and in Egypt caused it to barter away the hard earned credibility it had built up since 1996, new avenues have opened up for the channel in the West. All legal hurdles have been removed from its path in the US and Britain. Yes, there will be an Al Jazeera in the US and in Britain. Some day we should decode the real story: whose baby is Al Jazeera?
(A senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs, Saeed Naqvi can be reached on [email protected])
IANS
Source: IANS
blog comments powered by Disqus
Latest stories
New York, NY, August 24, 2013 –(PR.com)– Mr. James Z. Tiigah, of New York, New York has been included in the Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide Edition for his outstanding contributions and achievements in…
For a 5th year, Inc. Magazine Names Bayshore Solutions as one of the 5000 Fastest growing US companies.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar fell out because they supported conflicting interests primarily in Egypt. Elsewhere too – Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Gaza (Hamas). But their coming together in any case was for limited tactical reasons: to stall the Arab Spring. The big asset the Qataris brought to the union, hurriedly put together, was the incomparable credibility of their TV channel, Al Jazeera.
The premier digital marketing service provider now also provides web design and development services.
- Visit our Homepage for the Trending Advertising News.
Latest from the Network
It’s no secret that Khloe and Lamar’s relationship has been on the rocks recently, but a new report claims to know the reason why — a drug addiction that Lamar has reportedly been struggling with for 2 years. In…
Read more on TV Balla
Even though Rihanna has been romantically linked to everyone from A$AP Rocky to Justin Bieber to her ex Chris Brown lately, we couldn’t help but notice she’s been flying solo for a while now. So why is RiRi still single…
Read more on TV Balla
The relationship odds are ever in Jennifer’s favor! When the actress realized what she had been missing with her former flame Nicholas, she went after what she wanted and won him back! Read on for all the details! We…
Read more on TV Balla
The ’30 Rock’ star and his fitness-savvy wife welcomed a baby girl! Hilaria gave birth to little Carmen Gabriela on Aug. 23. Congrats! Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin welcomed their first child together on Aug…
Read more on TV Balla
Rob has said that he doesn’t want to be defined by his relationship with Kristen, but die-hard ‘Twilight’ fans can’t seem to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the former couple. Now Rob wonders if he’ll ever…
Read more on TV Balla
The ’30 Rock’ star and his fitness-savvy wife welcomed a little girl! Hilaria gave birth on August 23. Congrats! Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin welcomed their first child together on August 23. The little…
Read more on TV Balla
Many a father has been bested by the belted contraption that is the baby car seat — even celeb dads aren’t immune to the confusing effects of the safety seat! Kanye says that he’s “embarrassed” that he isn’t smooth with…
Read more on TV Balla
The 27-year-old singer sat down with HollywoodLife.com and told us that she would love to work with Chris again. The two recorded a song together in 2009 — should these two get in the studio again? Ciara has Chris Brown…
Read more on TV Balla
Hold onto your strings! We told you ‘NSYNC is reuniting at the Video Music Awards on Aug. 25, and now we’ve got more good news — the band is planning to recreate some of their greatest music videos in a medley! Read on…
Read more on TV Balla
Bethany has taken the plunge! The professional surfer and shark attack-survivor officially tied the knot on Aug.18 in Hawaii. Congrats! Bethany Hamilton, the inspirational surfer who lost her left arm in a shark attack…
Read more on TV Balla
