On 13 November 2001 a 230 kilograms heavy U.S. bomb hit the Kabul office of the TV channel Al Jazeera and destroyed the whole building (BBC 2001). Although the incident occurred during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the station was located in a residential area and the Pentagon was informed about its location. International concerns rose up the next weeks and after BBC constantly brought new disclosures about the incident to light, the Pentagon relented and published an official statement in which it confirmed a deliberate destruction. In the eyes of the Pentagon and U.S. government the bombing was legitimate because in their estimation, Al Jazeera is as a part of the propaganda machine of the “enemy”, cooperating with terrorists (Miles 2005, 165-167).
About 10 years later things seem to have changed a lot. In March 2011, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Al Jazeera provided more informative news coverage than the opinion-driven coverage of American mass media (The Huffington Post 2011). However, she is not the only one whose perception about the TV channel seems to have changed in the last years. “Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus […] and Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all have appeared on the network's Arabic and English channels in the last year.” writes the Los Angeles Times at the end of 2011 and claims that “The Obama administration is courting the pan-Arab television network Al Jazeera in an attempt to improve a history of testy relations with one of the most influential news outlets in the Middle East.” (Los Angeles Times 2011).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The history of Al Jazeera
3. The U.S. view on Al Jazeera in time
3.1. September 11 attacks
3.2. War in Afghanistan
3.3. Iraq War
3.4. Arab Spring
4. Possible reasons for the changing U.S. perceptions
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the evolution of the United States' perception and policy regarding the media network Al Jazeera, tracing the shift from intense hostility during the "War on Terror" to a more cooperative stance in recent years. The research explores whether this change occurred, the extent of the shift, and the underlying factors that influenced U.S. officials' attitudes.
- Historical context and internal culture of Al Jazeera.
- Analysis of U.S. reactions to Al Jazeera's coverage of key events: 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Arab Spring.
- The influence of the launch of Al Jazeera English on global perceptions.
- The impact of shifting U.S. administrations and political strategy on media relations.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2. War in Afghanistan
On 7 October 2001, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France and the Afghan United Front launched "Operation Enduring Freedom" and started at first with heavy air strikes. The official goal of the operation was to liberate the Afghan population from the Taliban regime and to bring the Taliban to justice because of their supporting of the 11 September attacks. During the war, Al Jazeera was the only channel worldwide reporting live from Kabul and once again triggering a lot of negative reactions from U.S. officials (Zayani/Sahraoui 2007, 30 | Lynch 2005, 38 | Miles 2005, 141).
Especially the repeated broadcasting of Afghan civilian casualties and wounded children injured by U.S. air strikes was criticized heavily. U.S. officials were concerned that such reporting would facilitate Arab perceptions towards U.S. military activities and foster anti-Americanism (El-Nawawy/Iskandar 2003, 180). For example Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense, called the Al Jazeera’s reporting “propagandistic and inflammatory” (El-Nawawy/Iskandar 2003, 181 | Meltzer 2012, 4). In the next weeks nearly all leading members of the Bush administration had the news channel criticized of inciting violence against coalition forces and airing "atrocious" news coverage (Lynch 2005, 43).
However, U.S. officials raised even more serious allegations against Al Jazeera and claimed that individual correspondents of the channel supported actively the Taliban (El-Nawawy/Iskandar 2003, 183). Dorrance Smith, former senior media adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority, even saw a strong collaboration between Al Qaida and Al-Jazeera (Lynch 2005, 43).
The exorbitant climax of this smear campaign was a 230 kilograms heavy U.S. bomb that hit the Kabul office of Al Jazeera on 13 November and destroyed the whole building (BBC 2001). There is no doubt at the intent of this action after the Pentagon published an official statement a few weeks later in which it confirmed a deliberate destruction (Miles 2005, 165-167 | Lynch 2006, 189).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the central research question regarding the shift in U.S. perception of Al Jazeera, from the bombing of its Kabul office to recent diplomatic engagement.
2. The history of Al Jazeera: Outlines the origins of the network in Qatar, its initial reliance on former BBC staff, and its emergence as a major independent voice in the Middle East.
3. The U.S. view on Al Jazeera in time: Documents the trajectory of U.S.-Al Jazeera relations across major geopolitical events, starting from the post-9/11 criticism to later perceived cooperation.
3.1. September 11 attacks: Details the Bush administration's initial antagonism toward Al Jazeera for providing a platform to Osama bin Laden.
3.2. War in Afghanistan: Explores the tensions during the invasion of Afghanistan, focusing on the bombing of Al Jazeera's office and allegations of pro-Taliban bias.
3.3. Iraq War: Examines the increased hostility during the Iraq invasion and the network's role in challenging Western media hegemony.
3.4. Arab Spring: Discusses how the Arab Spring altered the U.S. view of Al Jazeera, shifting from suspicion to viewing the network as a significant political actor and source of information.
4. Possible reasons for the changing U.S. perceptions: Analyzes factors like the launch of Al Jazeera English, the Obama administration's different political strategy, and the shared interests during the Arab Spring.
5. Conclusion: Synthesizes findings, confirming a significant shift in U.S. policy toward the network and calling for further empirical research.
Keywords
Al Jazeera, U.S. Foreign Policy, War on Terror, Middle East, Arab Spring, Media Policy, Propaganda, Journalism, Bush Administration, Obama Administration, Information Battle, Qatar, Satellite Television, Al Jazeera English, Geopolitics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper investigates the changing perception and diplomatic treatment of the media network Al Jazeera by U.S. officials and the U.S. government from 2001 to 2012.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The research covers international relations, media politics, the "War on Terror," the impact of the Arab Spring, and the evolution of global news broadcasting.
What is the central research question?
The study aims to determine if there has been a verifiable change in how U.S. officials perceive Al Jazeera, to what extent this has occurred, and the underlying reasons for this shift.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper uses a descriptive analytical approach, summarizing historical events and evaluating the shift in rhetoric and policy without relying on new empirical records.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body analyzes the history of Al Jazeera and specifically reviews four key events: 9/11, the war in Afghanistan, the Iraq war, and the Arab Spring.
What are the key terms associated with this work?
Key terms include media hegemony, U.S. foreign policy, Arab Spring, the war on terror, and the strategic evolution of the Al Jazeera network.
How did the launch of Al Jazeera English influence U.S. perceptions?
The launch of an English-language version in 2006 made the network a global media power, making it harder for the U.S. to ignore and creating a new platform for communicating with Western audiences.
Why did the U.S. change its stance during the Arab Spring?
The U.S. found the network useful for gaining influence during the unpredictable protests, and found that Al Jazeera's reporting in certain countries often aligned with their own geopolitical interests.
- Quote paper
- Adam Balogh (Author), 2012, Changing Perceptions - How the U.S. view on Al Jazeera changed in time, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/209934
