ABSTRACT
Al Jazeera Satellite Channel has played a central role in liberalizing the Arab media discourse. Its pre-eminence in the nascent Arab public sphere has put an end to media control by Arab regimes, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. The powerful images of Iranians expressing their joy after the fall of the regime of the Shah and cheering the homecoming of Ayatollah Khomeini at the airport of Tehran made people more aware of the power the fanatic masses can have. The necessity for governments to legitimate a nation-state which is often contested as a center of power entangles them in an endless endeavor to distinguish themselves from neighboring states. Al Jazeera has become a weapon to contend with and a source of influence at the disposal of a tiny country which does not possess any of the classical elements of power—it has no large population, no sizeable army and no big industry.
