The influence of Al-Jazeera in the Arab world & the response of Arab governments

Since its 1996 debut, Al-Jazeera has been a source of vexation to the traditionally autocratic governments in the Arab World. With its real-time, 24-hour cycle and uncensored nature of reporting and analyzing news, Al-Jazeera changed the Arab media's traditional role. It shifted from being compliant with governments to being critical. Is Al-Jazeera the new challenge to Arab governments for control of information? This thesis examines the various responses from Arab governments to Al-Jazeera coverage by conducting a literature review and qualitative study. Incorporating CNN Effect theory, I record observations regarding the response of Arab governments. Findings indicate an overall weakness in Arab governments' efforts to resist Al-Jazeera. Some that successfully resist the channel capitulate later. Al-Jazeera's ability to remain potent could contribute to the decline of the autocracy of Arab governments, particularly in controlling information. Although, recent developments in the Arab League hint that Al-Jazeera's impact is anything but certain.