Al-Jazeera, an Accidental Ally
Unintended consequences are great levelers of absolute conviction. The incidental and accidental keep turning over my most deeply held convictions. That’s just one of the things that make the world (and watching the world) such an interesting experience. Not always pleasant, sometimes heartwarming and occasionally vicious beyond explanation, but always interesting.
So it is with al-Jazeera, the Arab-language satellite TV station that Washington has vilified over the nine years it’s been on the air. With the administration playing up coverage of beheadings and Osama bin Laden statements, Americans have perhaps been given a one-sided look at al-Jazeera’s impact on political directions recently taken by a number of Arab countries. This most-watched channel in the Arab world covered Palestine and Iraqi elections, gave saturated coverage to the aftermath of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafiq Hariri’s assassination, sent four correspondents to cover Egypt’s reform movement Kifaya, report…