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Putting the Genie Back in the Bottle: Ruling Regimes and the New Media in the Arab World

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Putting the Genie Back in the Bottle: Ruling Regimes and the New Media in the Arab World D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 8 A N A L Y S I S DAVID HARDAKER Putting the Genie Back in Tel: +61 2 9427 7959 Mob: 0424 033 700 the Bottle: Ruling david@middleeastgulfconnection. com.au Regimes and the New Media in the Arab World E x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y The rapid growth of satellite television and the internet has shaken Arab governments’ traditional control over the media. This development has given unprecedented power to voices of dissent, both secular and religious. It has enabled popular participation in public debate and has given citizens the ability to mobilise mass protests. In the face of this threat to their authority, regimes have typically responded with heightened repression and censorship, in the name of stability. In some cases they have also attempted to co-opt the new media to their own advantage. However, Arab regimes are faced with competing demands: one the one hand they must ensure the take-up of communication technologies so as to keep pace with global change, but on the other hand they must limit the use of these technologies as a means of undermining regime control. In the long term, resolving this tension will only become more difficult; the genie is well and truly out of the bottle. LOWY INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY 31 Bligh Street Sydney NSW 2000 Tel: +61 2 8238 9000 Fax: +61 2 8238 9005 www.lowyinstitute.org = qÜÉ=içïó=fåëíáíìíÉ=Ñçê=fåíÉêå~íáçå~ä=mçäáÅó=áë=~å=áåÇÉéÉåÇÉåí=áåíÉêå~íáçå~ä=éçäáÅó=íÜáåâ=í~åâ= Ä~ëÉÇ=áå=póÇåÉóI=^ìëíê~äá~K==fíë=ã~åÇ~íÉ=ê~åÖÉë=~Åêçëë=~ää=íÜÉ=ÇáãÉåëáçåë=çÑ=áåíÉêå~íáçå~ä=éçäáÅó= ÇÉÄ~íÉ=áå=^ìëíê~äá~=Ô=ÉÅçåçãáÅI=éçäáíáÅ~ä=~åÇ=ëíê~íÉÖáÅ=Ô=~åÇ=áí=áë=åçí=äáãáíÉÇ=íç=~=é~êíáÅìä~ê= ÖÉçÖê~éÜáÅ=êÉÖáçåK==fíë=íïç=ÅçêÉ=í~ëâë=~êÉ=íçW= = • éêçÇìÅÉ=ÇáëíáåÅíáîÉ=êÉëÉ~êÅÜ=~åÇ=ÑêÉëÜ=éçäáÅó=çéíáçåë=Ñçê=^ìëíê~äá~Ûë=áåíÉêå~íáçå~ä=éçäáÅó=~åÇ= íç=ÅçåíêáÄìíÉ=íç=íÜÉ=ïáÇÉê=áåíÉêå~íáçå~ä=ÇÉÄ~íÉK=== = • éêçãçíÉ= ÇáëÅìëëáçå= çÑ= ^ìëíê~äá~Ûë= êçäÉ= áå= íÜÉ= ïçêäÇ=Äó= éêçîáÇáåÖ= = ~å= ~ÅÅÉëëáÄäÉ= ~åÇ= ÜáÖÜ= èì~äáíó= Ñçêìã= Ñçê= ÇáëÅìëëáçå= çÑ= ^ìëíê~äá~å= áåíÉêå~íáçå~ä= êÉä~íáçåë= íÜêçìÖÜ= ÇÉÄ~íÉëI= ëÉãáå~êëI=äÉÅíìêÉëI=Çá~äçÖìÉë=~åÇ=ÅçåÑÉêÉåÅÉëK= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = içïó=fåëíáíìíÉ=^å~äóëÉë=~êÉ=ëÜçêí=é~éÉêë=~å~äóëáåÖ=êÉÅÉåí=áåíÉêå~íáçå~ä=íêÉåÇë=~åÇ=ÉîÉåíë=~åÇ= íÜÉáê=éçäáÅó=áãéäáÅ~íáçåëK== = qÜÉ= îáÉïë= ÉñéêÉëëÉÇ= áå= íÜáë= é~éÉê= ~êÉ= ÉåíáêÉäó= íÜÉ= ~ìíÜçêÛë= çïå= ~åÇ= åçí= íÜçëÉ= çÑ= íÜÉ= içïó= fåëíáíìíÉ=Ñçê=fåíÉêå~íáçå~ä=mçäáÅóK= A n a l y s i s Putting the Genie Back in the Bottle: Ruling Regimes and the New Media in the Arab World The rise of the so-called ‘new media’ – chiefly television represents a vast potential for satellite TV and the internet – has placed influence. additional strains on Arab societies and brought new tensions to Arab politics. It has Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 given unprecedented power to voices of dissent was the unlikely trigger for the proliferation of and, unsurprisingly, ruling regimes are fighting satellite television. For three days Saudi rulers back. In 2008, Arab governments backed a kept the population in the dark about the proposed region-wide law to remove the licence potential threat to the Saudi state and the entry of satellite TV operators if they defamed of American military forces into the country. national leaders. Internet bloggers have been Accustomed to absolute control over harassed, beaten up and gaoled by state information, the ruling regime got a rude security for publishing material offensive to the shock, however, when it discovered most state. Recent years have seen some people had already switched away from state- governments go on the front foot, launching run television to CNN and knew perfectly well their own satellite networks aimed at what was going on. An outside force, which challenging the editorial line advanced by recognised no border, had broken down the networks such as al-Jazeera. control of information and set the stage for an information (and entertainment) revolution. This paper analyses the impact on Arab politics and society of the new media. In particular it Drawing on their massive oil wealth, the Saudi brings to light some of the ways in which the royal family and its friends sought to harness internet and satellite television are increasingly the power of this new medium. Saudis close to working in combination to magnify each the royal family launched the Middle East other’s power. It also examines the way that Broadcasting Centre from London in 1991. Arab regimes are attempting to resist the new Then, in 1993, came the Arab Radio and media’s assault on their power and authority, Television network (ART), founded by Saudi while at the same time harnessing its power to mogul, Saleh Abdallah Kamel. This was develop their national economy. followed by another Saudi venture, Orbit TV. By and large, the arrival of these new Saudi Satellite TV: relative freedom satellite networks did not dramatically change the nature of news coverage in the Arab world, From Damascus to Dubai, from Giza to Gaza, though it did provide a welter of new wherever you tread in the Middle East there’s entertainment and religious programming. It one thing you can’t miss: the satellite dish. was not until 1996 that the most dramatic They have transformed the landscape, whether change in Arab media took place. The sprouting from crowded apartment blocks or modernising Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin perhaps standing singly in impoverished Khalifa al Thani, used his deep pockets to villages. If a home can’t afford a dish, certainly launch the now iconic satellite TV station, Al the local coffee shop will. With millions of Jazeera. viewers and hundreds of channels, satellite Page 3 A n a l y s i s Putting the Genie Back in the Bottle: Ruling Regimes and the New Media in the Arab World For Arab audiences it was a groundbreaking invasion of 2003. Sunni militants set up the Al development. Al Jazeera was a news-driven Zawra station which broadcast a steady diet of channel and its style of reporting marked a US air strikes, all set to recitations of the departure from state-controlled television’s Qur’an. steady diet of protocol news, whereby the leaders’ daily meetings and even important Foreign-backed satellite networks have also phone calls were reported in careful detail. By moved into the market. The United States contrast, al-Jazeera covered stories considered administration funded the establishment of Al- too controversial for state-run television. It Iraqiyya (The Iraqi) satellite channel in 2003 as developed the format of live on-air discussion part of its battle to win hearts and minds in which brought unprecedented criticism of Arab Iraq. In 2004 the US State Department-backed rulers. It covered key topics in the Arab world Al Hurra (the Free One) was launched to in a new and more pluralist fashion, giving, for expose Arabs to the virtues of democracy as example, Islamists the chance to debate their part of the so-called ‘War on Terror’. In 2008 secular critics on live television. It became the BBC launched its own Arabic satellite compulsory viewing during seismic events such channel, capitalising on a 70-year presence in as the second Palestinian intifada (uprising) in the region through its radio service. The BBC’s 2000, the terrorist attacks of September 11, Head of Arabic services, Hosam Al Sokkari, 2001 and the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. says the move was a recognition that satellite television was now the ‘platform of choice’ for In 2003 Saudi Arabia – an occasional target of the region.1 some of al-Jazeera’s more provocative programs – launched its own answer to the Fifteen years on the Middle East satellite Qatari network, al-Arabiya (albeit privately television scene is bursting at the seams. Its owned by the MBC network). Like Al Jazeera, potential viewing audience of around 300 it was a slick operation with a large network of million can choose from hundreds of Arabic news correspondents, but its news agenda has and foreign language channels, carrying never been as provocative as its Qatari rival. everything from movies to sport to religion to pornography. It hasn’t just been wealthy Gulf states getting into the satellite television act. In 2000 the Viewer numbers are difficult to tie down. Lebanese Shi’ite movement, Hizballah, However one authoritative source, the 2008 launched its Al Manar (The Beacon) satellite Arab Public Opinion Survey, conducted jointly station. From 1991 Al Manar was a terrestrial by the University of Maryland and Zogby station operating for five hours a day to an International, has estimated that across the audience primarily in Beirut. The move to a Arab world, a clear majority (53%) of viewers satellite platform, with Iranian funding, turn to Al Jazeera for news. 2 Next come the brought Al Manar a global viewing audience big Egyptian networks (aggregated total of estimated in 2004 to be over 10 million people. 17%), followed by Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya In Iraq, sectarian groups launched their own (9%) and another Saudi channel, MBC (7%). shoestring operations following the US-led The same survey reveals marked local Page 4 A n a l y s i s Putting the Genie Back in the Bottle: Ruling Regimes and the New Media in the Arab World variations. In Lebanon, Al Manar channel has a following a thaw in Saudi-Qatari relations in viewing audience of 38% with Al Jazeera 2007.
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