Emerging Voices

Strategic Vision, Special Issue (Summer, 2021)

Social media provides Qatari citizens greater voice in international disputes

Saleh Rashid Al Naemi

The Amiri Diwan is the sovereign body and the administrative office of the Amir. It is the official workplace and office of the Amir of the State of Qatar.

photo: Alex Sergeev.

The gulf crisis involving Saudi Arabia and Qatar erupted in June 2017 when Saudi Arabia and a coalition of countries accused Qatar of engaging in terrorism. The evolution of technology has provided a new platform for conflict engagement and resolutions in virtual space. The emergence of social media platforms such as Twitter has helped Qataris to challenge others in the Gulf region to show their digital nationalism by depicting the positive things that are happening in Qatar, such as economic growth and diversification of the local economy. Most Qataris and citizens of blockading nations used social media to promote their respective narratives and counter-narratives relating to the Gulf crisis. Social media gives people the opportunity to express themselves and challenge prevailing social problems in society.

Today, social media gives people the opportunity to take part in important public discourses. The use of virtual ethnographic research via contextual interviews of online Qatari volunteers with recent tweets supporting Qatar against accusations of terrorism has helped to determine the rise of digital nationalism in Qatar. The tweets were a critical form of data, and this study utilized trending hashtags during a two-week period beginning on June 5, 2017, which corresponds with the start of the blockade on Qatar. The selection of appropriate tweets and their translation from Arabic to English was used to produce reliable findings. Information from other online sources such as Facebook was also used, as well as online interviews with a number of Qatari citizens who participated in online forums during the virtual conflict. Defense of Qatar is one of the main factors which caused Qataris to take part in a Twitter war with citizens in other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

The diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and Qatar led to the emergence of a new form of non-kinetic war. The crisis led to the development of a virtual war waged on social media between Qataris and netizens in the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain— countries that had cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. The coalition banned Qatari planes and ships from using their airspace and maritime territory. The coalition accused Qatar of supporting terrorism in violation of a 2014 Agreement by Gulf Corporation Council members. The 2014 agreement required member states to avoid funding terrorist groups.Qatar conceded that it had provided aid to Islamist groups, but not to militant groups such as al-Qaeda.The situation led to full-blown crisis between the Saudi-led coalition and Qatar. Controversial allegations were posted on websites claiming that Qatar’sEmir was in support of Iran, which is the main rival of Saudi Arabia. Even though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar denied this allegation, the situation soured relations between Qatar and other major countries in the Gulf region. Reports emerged claiming that the UAE was responsible for hacking the Qatar News Agency website. Media outlets associated with Saudi Arabia claimed that Qatar sought to create a crisis in the Gulf region by financing terrorist groups.

Located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, Doha is the capital of Qatar and its most populated city. It is also the economic center of the country.

photo: Flashpacker Travel Guide

The diplomatic crisis was also important because it had potential strategic ramifications. Qatar has good international relationships with influential countries such as the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. Perhaps most importantly, the US military relies heavily on Al Udeid Air Base to project power into the Gulf region. Qatar also hosted the FIFA Club World Cup 2019, which greatly raised Qatar’s profile in the international community.

Improving unity

The main elements necessary for understanding the rise of digital nationalism are the use of digital nationalism to fight misinformation, influence social media to promote digital nationalism, and the impact of digital nationalism on improving the unity of the people against external political aggression. Online and traditional media serves an important role in protecting the image of the country against misinformation and external attacks. Media has evolved over time and has given people the means to communicate with their leaders more directly. The government can adopt media to influence perceptions and decision-making in society. Similarly, people will use social media to influence the formation of govern- ment decisions and policies. Allegations of terrorism were repeated in local and international media organizations. Without a strong counter-narrative, the news would have destroyed the reputation and influence of Qatar’s leaders internationally. The soft power and diplomatic influence of Qatar would have declined significantly.

Posting and sharing fake news is easy and it has a significant influence on public perceptions in Qatar. Traditional media would not have allowed outraged Qataris to defend their leader from allegations. Digital media provides another approach for adversaries to spread falsehoods against other countries. The countries responsible for propagating allegations against Qatar are long-standing enemies, and this has helped to evoke the nationalism of Qatari citizens.

#Tamim_The_Glorious

photo: Sonse

The impact of the diplomatic crisis for the flightpaths of Qatar Airways is shown in before (red) and after (blue) comparisons.

image: Dmc49

Interactive counterarguments on social media help to promote digital nationalism, because of the interactive nature of social media platforms. Social media channels have the capacity to reach many viewers at the same time. The digital sites help the citizens to obtain information and reliable facts to defend their positions effectively. Attacks against Qatari leadership were also seen as an attack on personal identity by some Qatari citizens. This gave rise to a hashtag war, with titles such as #QatarNotAlone, and support for the Emir of Qatar with #Tamim_The_Glorious. Social media provides a good platform for Qatari nationals to express their opinions and explore issues relating to their national identity, as well as to help them fight for the interests of the Qatar nation. Jocelyn Sage Mitchell and Ilhem Allagui researched digital transformations and social empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa region. They note that “digital nationalism has emerged from the opportunity for the individual citizens to defend their countries from pioneers of cyber conflicts.” In this vein, Qataris capitalized on their social media presence to express their feelings and national pride in defense of their leader and their sovereign country.

Linking people

Social media is also an effective channel through which to improve solidarity among citizens, as social media platforms link people from diverse backgrounds. Allegations against Qatar from netizens in neighboring countries challenged the sovereignty and reputation of the nation. This in turn provided an opportunity for the Qatari government to join forces with Qatari nationals to counter those narratives. Many Qatari citizens responded, displaying a high level of support for Qatari leadership. In a developing country where leaders are not elected by the people, digital nationalism became a unifying force.

The Gulf crisis created on online dispute, which led to the rise of digital nationalism in Qatar. The blockade of Qatar increased the level of solidarity among its citizens and increased the consolidation of the national identity. The influence of digital nationalism contributed to the failure of the blockade against Qatar. Digital platforms have led to the development of sites for people to express themselves in solidarity and nationalism. Social media become an important tool to mobilize people to resist the blockade. Twitter hashtags provided an effective way for Qatar nationals to show their national unity and promote national slogans. The tweets were a useful reflection of how users conceived bravery, strength, pride, and dignity towards the sovereignty of Qatar. In the future, digital nationalism will likely play an increasingly prominent role in disputes between states.

The Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base oversees air operations for more than 20 countries.

photo: Airman Magazine

Saleh Rashid Al Naemi is a senior engagement and communications specialist at Qatar University. He canbe reached for comment at salehalnaemi@gmail.com