From FPRI:
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Over 50 Years of Ideas in Service to Our Nation
www.fpri.org
You can now follow FPRI on Facebook and FPRINews on Twitter
E-Notes
Distributed Exclusively via Email
~MIDDLE EAST MEDIA MONITOR~
WikiLeaks in the Arab Press
by Tally Helfont
February 14, 2011
Middle East Media Monitor is a new FPRI E-Note series,
designed to review once a month a current topic from the
perspective of the foreign language press in such countries
as Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Turkey. These articles
will focus on providing FPRI's readership with an inside
view on how some of the most important countries in the
Middle East are covering issues of importance to the
American foreign policy community.
Tally Helfont is a research fellow with FPRI's Program on
the Middle East. Her research focuses on strategic issues in
the region and on radical Islamic movements. She has also
instructed training courses on behalf of K3 Enterprises in
Civil Information Management to U.S. Military Civil Affairs
Units and Human Terrain Teams assigned to Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Available on the web and in pdf format at:
http://www.fpri.org/enotes/201102.helfont.wikileaks.html
~MIDDLE EAST MEDIA MONITOR~
WikiLeaks in the Arab Press
by Tally Helfont
On November 28, 2010, WikiLeaks-a non-profit media
organization known for publishing secret and classified
information obtained from anonymous sources-released 250,000
American diplomatic cables, detailing high-level meetings
between prominent American diplomats and their international
counterparts. These cables, many of which dealt with the
Middle East and featured frank and often embarrassing
statements by several Arab leaders, sent ripples throughout
the region.[1] The disproportionately high number of cables
dealing with the Middle East has been attributed to the
United States' increased focus on the region during the past
decade, in addition to the "war on terror."[2] Coverage of
the leaks, or more specifically the extent and frequency of
the coverage, has varied from country to country. In a
region where secrecy is paramount and "public candor is
rare," the WikiLeaks cables highlight the great divide
between Arab public opinion which, "tends to favor a strong
Iran, even a nuclear-armed Iran, as a counterweight to
Israel and to US hegemony" and the hawkish views of Arab
leaders about "Persians or pragmatism about Israel."[3]
Given that Arab governments enjoy little popular support,
its leaders largely express these views in private.
WikiLeaks, therefore, exposed some of these leaders in an
unfavorable light to their populaces. In fact, given the
recent events in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen, many in the
region have begun asking whether the WikiLeaks revelations
may have contributed to the sudden explosion of angry
protests and demands for regime change in these
countries.[4] Looking at the way in which the Arab press
covered the WikiLeaks scandal is therefore important to
understanding some of the main grievances driving current
Middle Eastern affairs today.
Outrage has been a dominant theme in many WikiLeaks articles
in the Arab press. Al-Jazeera's Larbi Sadiki writes, "The US
embassy cables show Western diplomats pursuing with
dedication their people's interests. For that they must be
respected. By contrast, some Arab politicians are inviting
invasion, bombing and conspiring against fellow
citizens."[5] Rami Khouri of Lebanon's Daily Star writes
that "The assorted Arab leaders who are quoted as asking the
United States to hurry up and do something about Iran's
growing nuclear technology capabilities reveal an apparent
inability to take care of their own countries and
citizens."[6] Sadiki, however, takes a bleaker view, saying,
"As ever, in the Middle East, one person's viper is another
man's 'alpha dog'. Otherwise how does one explain that Abbas
[Palestinian Authority] and Al-Salih [Yemen], who
collaborate in the bombing of their own peoples, are granted
legitimacy, cash, and weapons. Those who resist occupation
are threatened with war and international courts!"[7] More
than anything, sentiments in the Arab press express a sense
of being thrown to the wolves by those in power.
Perceptions of the impact of the leaked cables have been
divided. Some in the Arab press, such as Asharq Al-Awsat's
Tariq Al-Homayed argue that "the world will inevitably be
changed by this_We are truly living in a post-WikiLeaks
world today." He goes on to explain that "This does not just
mean that nobody will trust the Americans, but that nobody
will trust any diplomat." Al-Homayed likened the new
circumstances to "everybody playing the game with their
cards exposed."[8] Others, such as Zaid Derweesh, have
suggested that the impact of WikiLeaks would be negligible
considering that "Citizens of the Arab world_ know that what
is said in public by their leaders differs greatly from what
goes on behind closed doors. They also know that their
governments will go along with whatever the US asks of
them." However, according to Derweesh, "What may come as a
surprise to some will be the degree to which this
subservience occurs."[9] This sentiment affirms the dominant
view on the Arab street that its leaders are weak and will
bend to the United States' will at the cost of their people.
So what have the U.S. diplomats and their Arab counterparts
been chatting about so fervently? As Sadiki puts it, "the
cables show linguistic cacophony, and, in terms of
interests, harmony. Security, security, security!
Terrorists, Gitmo detainees, Iranian nukes, Hamas, and
Hezbollah are the addiction as well as the obsession of
Middle Eastern diplomacy."[10] Foremost on the minds of
these diplomats, however, is Iran and its nuclear ambitions.
Karim Sadjadpour, of The Financial Times of London, offers a
colorful account, writing that "if extra-terrestrials were
to have read Monday's WikiLeaks revelations on the Middle
East, they would conclude that the earth's two superpowers
are the US and Iran. The Iranian menace dominates
Washington's diplomatic discussions." The WikiLeaks
revelations make it quite clear that "Arab officials believe
Iran to be inherently dishonest and dangerous" and that
Sunni Arab leaders, and especially the Saudis, strongly
encouraged America "to deliver Shia Iran its military
comeuppance."[11]
Anxiety among Arab leaders over Tehran's growing power,
according to the diplomatic cables, led to both sharp
language and decisive measures. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah
was the most outspoken on the Iran issue, having repeatedly
urged U.S. diplomats to attack Iran in order to "cut off the
head of the snake."[12] Jordanian officials are revealed in
the cables to have described Iran as a shrewd octopus
extending its tentacles to manipulate and undermine the
plans of the West and of moderates in the region. The
Jordanians cited Qatar, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas,
(occasionally) the Iraqi government, and Shiite communities
in the region among the so-called tentacles.[13] Likewise,
Jordan's King Abdullah II warned U.S. Special Envoy George
Mitchell that U.S. dialogue with Iran could provoke
divisions between Arab states, undermining the moderate
Arabs, without persuading Iran to halt its support for
terrorism, freeze its nuclear program, or give up its
ambitions to dominate.[14]
However, Arab leaders did not express their fears about Iran
solely to the United States. Arab leaders also took decisive
action to engage, albeit secretly, with the only other
nation that appeared to be taking the Iranian threat as
seriously as they were: Israel. The Saudi newspaper Elaph
reported that, according to diplomatic cables from 2009,
secret, high-level meetings were conducted between Israel
and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, and the
United Arab Emirates. Despite hostile public rhetoric
against Israel and the fact that these Arab countries do not
recognize the Jewish state, Arab diplomats secretly asked
Tel Aviv to convey messages to the U.S. government, urging
it to take tougher action against Tehran.[15] This
revelation particularly incensed scores of columnists in the
Arab world.
The extent to which various commentators in the Arab press
perceive that WikiLeaks will impact the diplomatic
environment seems to depend on how seriously they take these
leaks. Some question the validity of the cables. For
example, Asa'd Abu Khalil, a writer for the Angry Arab blog,
voiced his suspicions about the WikiLeaks cables arguing
that many of "the revelations about the Middle East were
largely either known or expected" and that "there is not a
single document that is embarrassing to Israel. Not
one."[16] Others have attempted to downplay their content
as being, in the words of Gulf Cooperation Council
Secretary-General, Abdul Rahman Atiyyah, unreliable and
based on "guesses or analyses that can hit or miss."[17] Al-
Homayed cautions that "We must take care that not everything
written by the American embassies is fact; some of these
reports have been taken out of context."[18]
Various Arab leaders, who were caught saying some
embarrassing things, have echoed this line. The Jordanians
were quick to issue a statement in light of their indelicate
views on Iran being aired, declaring that "the Jordanian
government officials are the only ones who represent the
official positions of Jordan" and that the cables "reflect
the analysis of U.S. officials and their readings" of the
situation.[19] Even more embarrassing was the Lebanese
scandal in which, according to the cables, Lebanese Defense
Minister Elias El-Murr offered U.S. officials advice on how
Israel could defeat Hezbollah in a future war and vowed to
keep the Lebanese army out of the fighting.[20] Despite the
almost instantaneous statement issued by Murr's Assistant,
George Soulage, that the defense minister's comments were
"out of context and inaccurate," the press had a field day.
Sadiki sums up the general Arab press account of the
scandal, writing "With a Defense Minister like Mr. El-Murr,
who needs enemies?"[21]
Another determining factor in the extent of WikiLeaks media
coverage has been the strictness of the regimes in power and
the fear of retribution by newspapers and columnists. For
example, the Lebanese newspaper, Al-Akhbar, which published
the Murr story, shut down directly following its publication
of the leaked U.S. diplomatic cables, purportedly due to a
hacker attack. In Morocco, the Ministry of Communications
blocked the distribution of several foreign newspapers
including the French Le Monde, the Spanish El-Pais, and the
London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi for publishing information
from the leaked diplomatic cables. This censorship was
apparently based on an article in Morocco's press code,
which stipulates that the Ministry of Communications has the
right to prohibit any publication of articles that undermine
religion, territorial integrity and the monarchy.[22] In
Qatar, Al-Jazeera has been coy about reporting its leaders'
blunders. These leaders were identified in the cables as
deliberately using the Al Jazeera channel as a bargaining
tool in negotiations with some countries and offering to
cancel some of its critical reports and programming in
exchange for certain concessions.[23]
At first, the major Arab news outlets focused less on calls
by Arab leaders for strikes against Iran, ties to Israel,
and cooperation with the United States and more on American
difficulties with WikiLeaks, the legal woes of WikiLeaks and
its founder, or general musings on media and diplomacy.[24]
However, with the recent events in Tunisia and throughout
the Middle East, the focus has shifted somewhat from these
topics to coverage on the extent of government corruption in
these various countries; a theme which was quite apparent in
the WikiLeaks cables.
It remains to be seen whether the publication of this trove
of documents will have the resounding impact on Middle East
diplomacy that has been heralded by some. However in the
press, as the most recent events have demonstrated, the next
big story has already displaced the WikiLeaks scandal,
leaving diplomats and politicians to return to their craft
away from the limelight.
----------------------------------------------------------
Notes
[1] See: "Wikileaks Exposes America's Diplomacy (WikiLeaks
Yafdah Al-Diblomasiya Al-Amerikiya)," Al-Jazeera (Qatar) -
Arabic, November 29, 2010
www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5231D282-A1CF-49AF-97A7-F28FF06EA3DF.htm
[2] "Analysts: The Focus of the Publication of the
"WikLeaks" Documents on the Middle East is Due to American
Activity in it (Muhallilun: Tarkiz Nashar Watha'iq
"WikiLeaks" 'ala Asharq Al-Awsat BiSabab Al-Nashat Fiha),"
Asharq Al-Awsat (Saudi Arabia), December 11, 2010.
http://www.aawsat.com/details.asp?section=4&article=598990&issueno=11701
[3] Ian Black, "WikiLeaks Cables: Arab Media Hold Back on
Revelations about their Leaders," The Guardian, December 1, 2010.
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/on-the-middle-east-wikileaks
[4] Mohammad Kamil, "Experts: "WikiLeaks Leaks" Contributed
to the Tunisian 'Popular Uprising' (Khubara: ®Tasribat
WikiLeaks¯ Sahamat fi ®al-Intifadah al-Shaabiya¯ al-
Tunisiya," Al-Masry Al-Youm, January 15, 2011
[5] Larbi Sadiki, "Sex, Lies and Diplomatic Cables," Al-
Jazeera (Qatar) - English, December 8, 2010.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2010/12/2010125105945256495.html
[6] Rami G. Khouri, "Wikileaks Helped Expose the Indignities
of Arab Leaders," The Daily Star (Lebanon), December 1,
2010.
www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=122050#ixzz1AC8x6FC7
[7] Larbi Sadiki, "Sex, Lies and Diplomatic Cables."
[8] Tariq Alhomayed, "A Post-WikiLeaks World," Asharq Al-
Awsat (Saudi Arabia), December 4, 2010.
www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=23266
[9] Zaid Derweesh, "Arab Reaction to the Latest Wikileaks
Document Drop," Suite101.com, November 30, 2010.
www.suite101.com/content/arab-reaction-to-the-latest-wikileaks-document-drop-a315333
Black, "WikiLeaks Cables: Arab Media Hold Back on Revelations about their Leaders."
[10] Larbi Sadiki, "Sex, Lies and Diplomatic Cables."
[11] Karim Sadjadpour, "WikiLeaks Should Prompt a Rethink on
Iran," The Financial Times, November 30, 2010.
[12] "WikiLeaks": Saudis Urged the United States to
"Decapitate the Snake ("WikiLeaks": Al-Saudiun Hathu Wilayat
al-Mutahida 'ala Qata'a Ras Al-Afa'a)," Al-Quds (Jerusalem),
November 29, 2010 www.alquds.com/node/307283
[13] "WikiLeaks: Arab Concern Over American-Iranian Dialogue
(WikiLeaks: Qalaq 'Arabi Min Hiwar Ameriki - Irani)," Elaph
Online (Saudi Arabia), December 1, 2010.
www.elaph.com/Web/news/2010/12/615124.html
[14] "WikiLeaks: Arab Concern Over American-Iranian," Elaph
Online.
[15] "WikiLeaks: Arab Concern Over American-Iranian," Elaph
Online.
[16] Asa'd Abu Khalil, "Wikileaks: Fishy?" The Angry Arab
News Service, November 30, 2010.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/wikileaks-fishy-seclection.html
Black, "WikiLeaks Cables: Arab Media Hold Back on Revelations about their Leaders."
[17] Kareem Shaheen, "Sheikh Abdullah Calls for End to Iran
Stand-off," The National (Abu Dhabi), December 8, 2010.
www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/sheikh-abdullah-calls-for-end-to-iran-stand-off
[18] Tariq Al-Homayad, "U.S. Documents Scandal (Fadihat al-
Watha'iqAl-Amerikiya),"Asharq Al-Awsat (Saudi Arabia),
November 30, 2010. <
http://aawsat.com/leader.asp?section=3&issueno=11690&article=597471
[19] "WikiLeaks: Arab Concern Over American-Iranian," Elaph
Online.
[20] "(WikiLeaks): 'The Lebanese Minister of Defense'
Advised Israel on How to Eliminate Hezbollah (WikiLeaks:
Wazir al-Difa' al-Lubnani Nasah Isra'il BiKayfiyah al-Qada'
'Ala HizbAllah)," Watan News, December 4, 2010.'
www.watnnews.net/NewsDetails.aspx?PageID=3&NewsID=18134
[21] Sadiki, "Sex, Lies and Diplomatic Cables."
[22] "WikiLeaks: des journaux ‚trangers "interdits d'entr‚e"
au Maroc," Le Monde (France), December 14,
2010.www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2010/12/14/wikileaks-des-journaux-etrangers-interdits-d-entree-au-maroc_1453404_3212.html
[23] "Wikileaks: Qatar Used 'Al Jazeera' as a Bargaining
Tool in Negotiations with the States (WikiLeaks: Qatar
Tastakhdim 'Al-Jazeera' Kaadah Musawamah fi Mufawadatiha m'a
al-Duwal)," Al-Youm El-Sabia, December 6, 2010.
www.youm7.com/News.asp?NewsID=314761
[24] For a statistical breakdown of how various Arab news
outlets have covered the WikiLeaks story, see: David
Pollock, "PolicyWatch #1733: WikiLeaks, Gulf Arabs, and
Iran: An Opportunity for U.S. Policy," The Washington
Institute for Near East Policy, December 15, 2010.'
www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3283
----------------------------------------------------------
Copyright Foreign Policy Research Institute
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Over 50 Years of Ideas in Service to Our Nation
www.fpri.org
You can now follow FPRI on Facebook and FPRINews on Twitter
E-Notes
Distributed Exclusively via Email
~MIDDLE EAST MEDIA MONITOR~
WikiLeaks in the Arab Press
by Tally Helfont
February 14, 2011
Middle East Media Monitor is a new FPRI E-Note series,
designed to review once a month a current topic from the
perspective of the foreign language press in such countries
as Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Turkey. These articles
will focus on providing FPRI's readership with an inside
view on how some of the most important countries in the
Middle East are covering issues of importance to the
American foreign policy community.
Tally Helfont is a research fellow with FPRI's Program on
the Middle East. Her research focuses on strategic issues in
the region and on radical Islamic movements. She has also
instructed training courses on behalf of K3 Enterprises in
Civil Information Management to U.S. Military Civil Affairs
Units and Human Terrain Teams assigned to Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Available on the web and in pdf format at:
http://www.fpri.org/enotes/201102.helfont.wikileaks.html
~MIDDLE EAST MEDIA MONITOR~
WikiLeaks in the Arab Press
by Tally Helfont
On November 28, 2010, WikiLeaks-a non-profit media
organization known for publishing secret and classified
information obtained from anonymous sources-released 250,000
American diplomatic cables, detailing high-level meetings
between prominent American diplomats and their international
counterparts. These cables, many of which dealt with the
Middle East and featured frank and often embarrassing
statements by several Arab leaders, sent ripples throughout
the region.[1] The disproportionately high number of cables
dealing with the Middle East has been attributed to the
United States' increased focus on the region during the past
decade, in addition to the "war on terror."[2] Coverage of
the leaks, or more specifically the extent and frequency of
the coverage, has varied from country to country. In a
region where secrecy is paramount and "public candor is
rare," the WikiLeaks cables highlight the great divide
between Arab public opinion which, "tends to favor a strong
Iran, even a nuclear-armed Iran, as a counterweight to
Israel and to US hegemony" and the hawkish views of Arab
leaders about "Persians or pragmatism about Israel."[3]
Given that Arab governments enjoy little popular support,
its leaders largely express these views in private.
WikiLeaks, therefore, exposed some of these leaders in an
unfavorable light to their populaces. In fact, given the
recent events in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen, many in the
region have begun asking whether the WikiLeaks revelations
may have contributed to the sudden explosion of angry
protests and demands for regime change in these
countries.[4] Looking at the way in which the Arab press
covered the WikiLeaks scandal is therefore important to
understanding some of the main grievances driving current
Middle Eastern affairs today.
Outrage has been a dominant theme in many WikiLeaks articles
in the Arab press. Al-Jazeera's Larbi Sadiki writes, "The US
embassy cables show Western diplomats pursuing with
dedication their people's interests. For that they must be
respected. By contrast, some Arab politicians are inviting
invasion, bombing and conspiring against fellow
citizens."[5] Rami Khouri of Lebanon's Daily Star writes
that "The assorted Arab leaders who are quoted as asking the
United States to hurry up and do something about Iran's
growing nuclear technology capabilities reveal an apparent
inability to take care of their own countries and
citizens."[6] Sadiki, however, takes a bleaker view, saying,
"As ever, in the Middle East, one person's viper is another
man's 'alpha dog'. Otherwise how does one explain that Abbas
[Palestinian Authority] and Al-Salih [Yemen], who
collaborate in the bombing of their own peoples, are granted
legitimacy, cash, and weapons. Those who resist occupation
are threatened with war and international courts!"[7] More
than anything, sentiments in the Arab press express a sense
of being thrown to the wolves by those in power.
Perceptions of the impact of the leaked cables have been
divided. Some in the Arab press, such as Asharq Al-Awsat's
Tariq Al-Homayed argue that "the world will inevitably be
changed by this_We are truly living in a post-WikiLeaks
world today." He goes on to explain that "This does not just
mean that nobody will trust the Americans, but that nobody
will trust any diplomat." Al-Homayed likened the new
circumstances to "everybody playing the game with their
cards exposed."[8] Others, such as Zaid Derweesh, have
suggested that the impact of WikiLeaks would be negligible
considering that "Citizens of the Arab world_ know that what
is said in public by their leaders differs greatly from what
goes on behind closed doors. They also know that their
governments will go along with whatever the US asks of
them." However, according to Derweesh, "What may come as a
surprise to some will be the degree to which this
subservience occurs."[9] This sentiment affirms the dominant
view on the Arab street that its leaders are weak and will
bend to the United States' will at the cost of their people.
So what have the U.S. diplomats and their Arab counterparts
been chatting about so fervently? As Sadiki puts it, "the
cables show linguistic cacophony, and, in terms of
interests, harmony. Security, security, security!
Terrorists, Gitmo detainees, Iranian nukes, Hamas, and
Hezbollah are the addiction as well as the obsession of
Middle Eastern diplomacy."[10] Foremost on the minds of
these diplomats, however, is Iran and its nuclear ambitions.
Karim Sadjadpour, of The Financial Times of London, offers a
colorful account, writing that "if extra-terrestrials were
to have read Monday's WikiLeaks revelations on the Middle
East, they would conclude that the earth's two superpowers
are the US and Iran. The Iranian menace dominates
Washington's diplomatic discussions." The WikiLeaks
revelations make it quite clear that "Arab officials believe
Iran to be inherently dishonest and dangerous" and that
Sunni Arab leaders, and especially the Saudis, strongly
encouraged America "to deliver Shia Iran its military
comeuppance."[11]
Anxiety among Arab leaders over Tehran's growing power,
according to the diplomatic cables, led to both sharp
language and decisive measures. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah
was the most outspoken on the Iran issue, having repeatedly
urged U.S. diplomats to attack Iran in order to "cut off the
head of the snake."[12] Jordanian officials are revealed in
the cables to have described Iran as a shrewd octopus
extending its tentacles to manipulate and undermine the
plans of the West and of moderates in the region. The
Jordanians cited Qatar, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas,
(occasionally) the Iraqi government, and Shiite communities
in the region among the so-called tentacles.[13] Likewise,
Jordan's King Abdullah II warned U.S. Special Envoy George
Mitchell that U.S. dialogue with Iran could provoke
divisions between Arab states, undermining the moderate
Arabs, without persuading Iran to halt its support for
terrorism, freeze its nuclear program, or give up its
ambitions to dominate.[14]
However, Arab leaders did not express their fears about Iran
solely to the United States. Arab leaders also took decisive
action to engage, albeit secretly, with the only other
nation that appeared to be taking the Iranian threat as
seriously as they were: Israel. The Saudi newspaper Elaph
reported that, according to diplomatic cables from 2009,
secret, high-level meetings were conducted between Israel
and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, and the
United Arab Emirates. Despite hostile public rhetoric
against Israel and the fact that these Arab countries do not
recognize the Jewish state, Arab diplomats secretly asked
Tel Aviv to convey messages to the U.S. government, urging
it to take tougher action against Tehran.[15] This
revelation particularly incensed scores of columnists in the
Arab world.
The extent to which various commentators in the Arab press
perceive that WikiLeaks will impact the diplomatic
environment seems to depend on how seriously they take these
leaks. Some question the validity of the cables. For
example, Asa'd Abu Khalil, a writer for the Angry Arab blog,
voiced his suspicions about the WikiLeaks cables arguing
that many of "the revelations about the Middle East were
largely either known or expected" and that "there is not a
single document that is embarrassing to Israel. Not
one."[16] Others have attempted to downplay their content
as being, in the words of Gulf Cooperation Council
Secretary-General, Abdul Rahman Atiyyah, unreliable and
based on "guesses or analyses that can hit or miss."[17] Al-
Homayed cautions that "We must take care that not everything
written by the American embassies is fact; some of these
reports have been taken out of context."[18]
Various Arab leaders, who were caught saying some
embarrassing things, have echoed this line. The Jordanians
were quick to issue a statement in light of their indelicate
views on Iran being aired, declaring that "the Jordanian
government officials are the only ones who represent the
official positions of Jordan" and that the cables "reflect
the analysis of U.S. officials and their readings" of the
situation.[19] Even more embarrassing was the Lebanese
scandal in which, according to the cables, Lebanese Defense
Minister Elias El-Murr offered U.S. officials advice on how
Israel could defeat Hezbollah in a future war and vowed to
keep the Lebanese army out of the fighting.[20] Despite the
almost instantaneous statement issued by Murr's Assistant,
George Soulage, that the defense minister's comments were
"out of context and inaccurate," the press had a field day.
Sadiki sums up the general Arab press account of the
scandal, writing "With a Defense Minister like Mr. El-Murr,
who needs enemies?"[21]
Another determining factor in the extent of WikiLeaks media
coverage has been the strictness of the regimes in power and
the fear of retribution by newspapers and columnists. For
example, the Lebanese newspaper, Al-Akhbar, which published
the Murr story, shut down directly following its publication
of the leaked U.S. diplomatic cables, purportedly due to a
hacker attack. In Morocco, the Ministry of Communications
blocked the distribution of several foreign newspapers
including the French Le Monde, the Spanish El-Pais, and the
London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi for publishing information
from the leaked diplomatic cables. This censorship was
apparently based on an article in Morocco's press code,
which stipulates that the Ministry of Communications has the
right to prohibit any publication of articles that undermine
religion, territorial integrity and the monarchy.[22] In
Qatar, Al-Jazeera has been coy about reporting its leaders'
blunders. These leaders were identified in the cables as
deliberately using the Al Jazeera channel as a bargaining
tool in negotiations with some countries and offering to
cancel some of its critical reports and programming in
exchange for certain concessions.[23]
At first, the major Arab news outlets focused less on calls
by Arab leaders for strikes against Iran, ties to Israel,
and cooperation with the United States and more on American
difficulties with WikiLeaks, the legal woes of WikiLeaks and
its founder, or general musings on media and diplomacy.[24]
However, with the recent events in Tunisia and throughout
the Middle East, the focus has shifted somewhat from these
topics to coverage on the extent of government corruption in
these various countries; a theme which was quite apparent in
the WikiLeaks cables.
It remains to be seen whether the publication of this trove
of documents will have the resounding impact on Middle East
diplomacy that has been heralded by some. However in the
press, as the most recent events have demonstrated, the next
big story has already displaced the WikiLeaks scandal,
leaving diplomats and politicians to return to their craft
away from the limelight.
----------------------------------------------------------
Notes
[1] See: "Wikileaks Exposes America's Diplomacy (WikiLeaks
Yafdah Al-Diblomasiya Al-Amerikiya)," Al-Jazeera (Qatar) -
Arabic, November 29, 2010
www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5231D282-A1CF-49AF-97A7-F28FF06EA3DF.htm
[2] "Analysts: The Focus of the Publication of the
"WikLeaks" Documents on the Middle East is Due to American
Activity in it (Muhallilun: Tarkiz Nashar Watha'iq
"WikiLeaks" 'ala Asharq Al-Awsat BiSabab Al-Nashat Fiha),"
Asharq Al-Awsat (Saudi Arabia), December 11, 2010.
http://www.aawsat.com/details.asp?section=4&article=598990&issueno=11701
[3] Ian Black, "WikiLeaks Cables: Arab Media Hold Back on
Revelations about their Leaders," The Guardian, December 1, 2010.
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/on-the-middle-east-wikileaks
[4] Mohammad Kamil, "Experts: "WikiLeaks Leaks" Contributed
to the Tunisian 'Popular Uprising' (Khubara: ®Tasribat
WikiLeaks¯ Sahamat fi ®al-Intifadah al-Shaabiya¯ al-
Tunisiya," Al-Masry Al-Youm, January 15, 2011
[5] Larbi Sadiki, "Sex, Lies and Diplomatic Cables," Al-
Jazeera (Qatar) - English, December 8, 2010.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2010/12/2010125105945256495.html
[6] Rami G. Khouri, "Wikileaks Helped Expose the Indignities
of Arab Leaders," The Daily Star (Lebanon), December 1,
2010.
www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=122050#ixzz1AC8x6FC7
[7] Larbi Sadiki, "Sex, Lies and Diplomatic Cables."
[8] Tariq Alhomayed, "A Post-WikiLeaks World," Asharq Al-
Awsat (Saudi Arabia), December 4, 2010.
www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=23266
[9] Zaid Derweesh, "Arab Reaction to the Latest Wikileaks
Document Drop," Suite101.com, November 30, 2010.
www.suite101.com/content/arab-reaction-to-the-latest-wikileaks-document-drop-a315333
Black, "WikiLeaks Cables: Arab Media Hold Back on Revelations about their Leaders."
[10] Larbi Sadiki, "Sex, Lies and Diplomatic Cables."
[11] Karim Sadjadpour, "WikiLeaks Should Prompt a Rethink on
Iran," The Financial Times, November 30, 2010.
[12] "WikiLeaks": Saudis Urged the United States to
"Decapitate the Snake ("WikiLeaks": Al-Saudiun Hathu Wilayat
al-Mutahida 'ala Qata'a Ras Al-Afa'a)," Al-Quds (Jerusalem),
November 29, 2010 www.alquds.com/node/307283
[13] "WikiLeaks: Arab Concern Over American-Iranian Dialogue
(WikiLeaks: Qalaq 'Arabi Min Hiwar Ameriki - Irani)," Elaph
Online (Saudi Arabia), December 1, 2010.
www.elaph.com/Web/news/2010/12/615124.html
[14] "WikiLeaks: Arab Concern Over American-Iranian," Elaph
Online.
[15] "WikiLeaks: Arab Concern Over American-Iranian," Elaph
Online.
[16] Asa'd Abu Khalil, "Wikileaks: Fishy?" The Angry Arab
News Service, November 30, 2010.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/11/wikileaks-fishy-seclection.html
Black, "WikiLeaks Cables: Arab Media Hold Back on Revelations about their Leaders."
[17] Kareem Shaheen, "Sheikh Abdullah Calls for End to Iran
Stand-off," The National (Abu Dhabi), December 8, 2010.
www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/sheikh-abdullah-calls-for-end-to-iran-stand-off
[18] Tariq Al-Homayad, "U.S. Documents Scandal (Fadihat al-
Watha'iqAl-Amerikiya),"Asharq Al-Awsat (Saudi Arabia),
November 30, 2010. <
http://aawsat.com/leader.asp?section=3&issueno=11690&article=597471
[19] "WikiLeaks: Arab Concern Over American-Iranian," Elaph
Online.
[20] "(WikiLeaks): 'The Lebanese Minister of Defense'
Advised Israel on How to Eliminate Hezbollah (WikiLeaks:
Wazir al-Difa' al-Lubnani Nasah Isra'il BiKayfiyah al-Qada'
'Ala HizbAllah)," Watan News, December 4, 2010.'
www.watnnews.net/NewsDetails.aspx?PageID=3&NewsID=18134
[21] Sadiki, "Sex, Lies and Diplomatic Cables."
[22] "WikiLeaks: des journaux ‚trangers "interdits d'entr‚e"
au Maroc," Le Monde (France), December 14,
2010.www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2010/12/14/wikileaks-des-journaux-etrangers-interdits-d-entree-au-maroc_1453404_3212.html
[23] "Wikileaks: Qatar Used 'Al Jazeera' as a Bargaining
Tool in Negotiations with the States (WikiLeaks: Qatar
Tastakhdim 'Al-Jazeera' Kaadah Musawamah fi Mufawadatiha m'a
al-Duwal)," Al-Youm El-Sabia, December 6, 2010.
www.youm7.com/News.asp?NewsID=314761
[24] For a statistical breakdown of how various Arab news
outlets have covered the WikiLeaks story, see: David
Pollock, "PolicyWatch #1733: WikiLeaks, Gulf Arabs, and
Iran: An Opportunity for U.S. Policy," The Washington
Institute for Near East Policy, December 15, 2010.'
www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3283
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