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In the dispute between the Saudis, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain against Qatar there has been a thirteen-point ultimatum issued.
Points three and four of that ultimatum are as follows:
Several questions arise from the demands abobe. Can one nation or group of nations forcibly demand that another state shut down a group of media and news networks because it disagrees with the reportage of those networks? If the media and news networks were reporting falsehoods then the aggrieved powers could sue them, but the issue is not the facts being reported but the actual reporting itself. The second question is, should Qatar refuse to comply with either of these two demands could the four powers issuing the ultimatum use that as a causus belli to continue their attack on Qatar politically and economically or even escalate to military action? In any of these three cases what would be the role of non-Qatari forces in Qatar such as those on the Turkish and American military bases? Are the US or Turkey obligated to defend Qatar from such blockades and possible attacks by their treaties with Qatar?
The above questions were rhetorical and there is no need to address them unless you feel so inclined. The big questions I would like to discuss here are:
1) Are foreign but non-compliant media and news outlets legitimate targets for state action during peacetime and wartime?
2) Is this an unprecedented escalation in information warfare?
3) Will the blockade succeed, fail or escalate into a military conflict?
Cheers.
Evilroddy.
Points three and four of that ultimatum are as follows:
3) Shut down al-Jazeera and its affiliate stations.
4) Shut down news outlets that Qatar funds, directly and indirectly, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.
Several questions arise from the demands abobe. Can one nation or group of nations forcibly demand that another state shut down a group of media and news networks because it disagrees with the reportage of those networks? If the media and news networks were reporting falsehoods then the aggrieved powers could sue them, but the issue is not the facts being reported but the actual reporting itself. The second question is, should Qatar refuse to comply with either of these two demands could the four powers issuing the ultimatum use that as a causus belli to continue their attack on Qatar politically and economically or even escalate to military action? In any of these three cases what would be the role of non-Qatari forces in Qatar such as those on the Turkish and American military bases? Are the US or Turkey obligated to defend Qatar from such blockades and possible attacks by their treaties with Qatar?
The above questions were rhetorical and there is no need to address them unless you feel so inclined. The big questions I would like to discuss here are:
1) Are foreign but non-compliant media and news outlets legitimate targets for state action during peacetime and wartime?
2) Is this an unprecedented escalation in information warfare?
3) Will the blockade succeed, fail or escalate into a military conflict?
Cheers.
Evilroddy.
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