AL JAZEERA AS THE GREY EXCELLENCY OF THE NEW
CALIPHATE
Retirement of Palestinian citizen Wadah
Khanfar (Al Jazeera CEO) who has headed the TV-channel since 2003 is
surely a significant event. Yet, one has to have a really
superficial concept of Al Jazeera’s true nature for tying this
resignation up with Wikileaks, publishing the classified cables
of the U.S. Ambassador to Qatar — and the absolute majority
of Russian (and the global) media swallowed that bait. It’d be even
more naïve, believing Khanfar’s resignation to have something
to do with his alleged ties with the CIA or with the mythical
American requests to change the contents of a number
of information reports, covering the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan.
Way too many events, surrounding the TV-channel simply do not fit such
statements...
Retirement of Palestinian citizen Wadah
Khanfar (Al Jazeera CEO) who has headed the TV-channel since 2003 is
surely a significant event. Yet, one has to have a really
superficial concept of Al Jazeera’s true nature for tying this
resignation up with Wikileaks, publishing the classified cables
of the U.S. Ambassador to Qatar — and the absolute majority
of Russian (and the global) media swallowed that bait. It’d be even
more naïve, believing Khanfar’s resignation to have something
to do with his alleged ties with the CIA or with the mythical
American requests to change the contents of a number
of information reports, covering the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan.
Way too many events, surrounding the TV-channel simply do not fit such
statements...
TV-channel creation was decreed by Qatari emir Hamad bin Khalifa and
it went on air for the first time on the 7th
of November, 1996. Journalists, formerly employed by the BBC Arabic
Service (up to its closure in 1996) made up the core
of the team. We have to make a note here — Saudi royal
family was the co-owner of BBC Arabic Service TV.
According to the official version, Saudi government was discontent with
the reports and footage of its reporters and the broadcast was stop
at the censure grounds. It is also claimed that the initial
capital that the TV-channel architects got from Qatari emir made
up $137 million. It was announced that borrowing the
money — instead of direct gratuitous funding — the channel might
have guaranteed an independent editorial policy. Benevolent version
of «editorial independence» was instantly spoiled by the claims
of trustworthy sources, saying that Qatari emir has not only funded the
TV-channel but also privately «guaranteed» this very «editorial independence».
The information that then head of Saudi intelligence Prince Turki bin
Faisal (extremely significant and influential person in the Arab world)
also took some interest in its creation appeared in the news for
a very short while (and was never ever mentioned anywhere else) was even
more curious. Actually, well-aware people know that when he brinks
on the horizon, this can only mean one thing — something big
is going to happen; something that changes the course of events
and not only the regional situation...
With initially granted $137 million Al Jazeera expected to reach the
breakeven point by 2001. Yet, it failed to do so and
emir agreed to grant several more maintenance loans. This assistance
lasted for few years more. According to the media,
in 2004 TV-channel got from $30 to $50 million. General
estimates of the total corporate budget were also voiced up — $120
million annually. In 2010 The Economist presented an unproven data
about emir’s actual funding in the amount of $400 million annually
at least.
However, official numbers of Al Jazeera’s budget are always given
a benefit of doubt. Western media emphasize that the full-fledged
bilingual broadcasting — in Arab and English, offices in the
most of Middle-Eastern countries, hundreds of journalists all over
the world, equipment and the rest cost more. The numbers
up to $5 billion — the alleged initial investments —
were voiced up. Today it’s hard to say, whether such claims contained
some trustworthy data or were just full of plain envy for a more
successful competitor. Anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore — regardless
of the invested amounts, all of them were repaid. «Output» structure
was impressive indeed. In March of 2006 TV-channel got its
official name Al Jazeera Network, becoming and international media
corporation with 65 bureaus all over the world, more than 3.000 employees
and the auditory of 220 million families in more than
100 countries.
Its success was proven by the 2008 British poll, when 33%
of responders chose Al Jazeera English as the most trustworthy
source of information, while traditional BBC and ITV got merely 6%.
At the same time the success meant the aggravation
of competition — especially in the United States.
In Washington it went on air in 2009, while major
cable TV providers often refused to include it into the
package.
Along with that the media were constantly demonizing Al Jazeera, accusing
it of fostering anti-American sentiments, hostile attitude
to the Western values and giving the stage to Al Qaida.
Throughout its existence, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs was lodged
several hundred protest notes in regard with Al Jazeera reports.
Israel accused it of supporting terrorism for its coverage
of Intifada. Palestinians, Syrian and Libyans claimed
it to be the mouthpiece of Zionist propaganda. Jordan and
Kuwait have extradited Al Jazeera correspondents, considering their
reports too abusive for the state leaders. Egyptian ex-President Hosni Mubarak
dubbed it «the source of Egyptian troubles» — its journalists
were detained, military used to take their cameras away from them.
Arab Spring became its hour of triumph. The statement of the
Wikileaks administration was quite indicative in that regard (after all,
Arab events were the subject of its peculiar pride
of «we influence the global policy» kind): «Yes, we’ve perhaps made
our contribution to the Tunisian and Egyptian events. But let’s not forget
about the elephant, hidden in the room — Al Jazeera with its
satellites». Actually, everyone underlined its role of a mass stool
pigeon and propagandist. Even the official Washington, always jealous
of its monopoly for freedom of speech characterized Al Jazeera
as the only independent media source, free from the censure of local
authorities.
Yet, it was exactly the Arab Spring that triggered a surge
of doubts in the TV-channel’s unbiased attitude. As far back
as in February of 2011 Wikileaks published the documents,
proving that Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani promised
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to stop the broadcasting in exchange
for Egyptian help in the settlement of Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
Such information challenged the claims about «independence and censure-free
nature» of the channel. Simultaneously with that, Al Jazeera
reporters suffered from the mass epidemics of blindness and deafness, when
it came to covering the protests in Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia
and the other CCG members. As for Libyan events, which Qatar officially
participated at the side of anti-Gaddafi coalition, while the Saudi
and the UAE Special Forces actively fought against the government troops,
they’ve completely clarified the role of Al Jazeera in the «new
Caliphate».
For unbiased analysts it was all the more obvious that Al Jazeera was
an informational weapons of the Persian Gulf monarchies, aimed
at their regional rivals. The channel apparently was the mouthpiece
of the «new Caliphate», promoting the Saudi interpretation
of pan-Arabism and the new Arab East with those monarchies united around
King of Saudi Arabia, «the keeper of two sacred mosques».
Al Jazeera’s attitude towards bin Laden also clarified: for the West
he was a terrorist №1 (more of a media character, rather
than an actual person, though), while for the Gulf monarchies he’s one
of the Wahhabism bearers, champion of the Saudi official ideology.
For the Arab majority of Middle-Eastern population bin Laden was
a mujahidin, who challenged the «new crusaders» of the West,
implanting the estranged world order and the values, equally alien to the
Muslim Ummah.
If we finally admit the emergence of a new power center
as the result of the Arab Spring, role of Al Jazeera, the
main information weapon of this «new Caliphate» also clarifies. Its «field
tests» during the Arab turmoil have proved its extreme efficiency. The
substitution of Wadah Khanfar, who has headed the TV-channel since 2003,
with Ahmad bin Jassim Al Thani, member of Qatari majestic family,
signifies the fact that CCG bloc has officially added Al Jazeera
to its «armory», thus indicating the intention to carry out all the
more active and offensive regional policy. Surely, its aim will
be to protect the interests of the «Gulf oil fat cats» and
to pump up their influence in the Arab world in general.
Last week’s interview of aforementioned Turki bin Faisal to the New
York Times signified their readiness for that.
In these conditions Al Jazeera becomes the primary element
of the system, defending CCG interests; media-key to the goals
of the «new Caliphate», which is second to none in its
influence over the Muslim public.
It goes without saying that an outsider can by no means
be entrusted with such delicate affairs as the command of the
strategic information force. One of the foreign-policy impact elements
is to be headed by a «friend» of the Gulf
monarchies. Looking from that point of view, candidacy of Ahmad bin
Jassim Al Thani is more than fitting.
By Igor Pankratenko
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