Qatar's Smear Campaign against Saudi Arabia

Qatar uses its influential Al Jazeera television network to undermine the stability of its Arab neighbors. Qatar’s irresponsible and false allegations against Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman has always been connected to the anti-terror Arab quartet’s dispute with Doha. 

The Qatari disinformation propaganda campaign against Saudi Arabia ceases to be effective once people know it's mere propaganda. Now, more people are coming to understand that Qatar is a malign force, not just in the Middle East but across the world.

There has been a growing suspicion within major countries that Qatar is throwing its money around news outlets to either suppress stories about Qatar or amplify stories about Saudi Arabia and other countries that have turned on Qatar. 

Qatar has been increasing its lobbying efforts against Saudi Arabia and spent $16.3 million on lobbying efforts in 2017, an increase from $4.2 million during the prior year. Media organizations with ties to Qatar spent millions in online and social media campaigns designed to defame Saudi regime and support the ambitious goals of the gas-rich state.

Recently, top US lawmakers have also been pushing for the US Department of Justice to list the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera Media Network as a “foreign agent” for its content that promotes the policies of the state of Qatar, including its support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

According to David Reaboi, founder of the US-based think tank Security Studies Group, Qatar’s influence and information operations is “one of the least-covered and least-scrutinized stories of the past few years.”

Not surprisingly, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have imposed a blockade on Qatar since 2017, accusing Doha of threatening stability and security in the region and embracing various terrorist and sectarian groups.