In Partnership with Tom White
Amid the easily accessible artificial intelligence softwares and social media platforms, the global attention and participation in the crisis surrounding arab settlement near Dead Sea and neighbouring areas, had been massive. The AI technology had been inciting and exacerbating the spread of misinformation propaganda, under which the dissemination of recycled footage of past conflicts and contradictory narratives had already been spreading across X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and Instagram. In several instances, credible sources also amplified the misleading content, worsening the situation.
Among these sources are the US-based organizations and think tanks, such as the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). Through an aggressive defamation campaign, these organizations attempted to instigate the Western world against the regional rivals of UAE by using media contacts at news organisations like FOX. Deeply associated with the Abu Dhabi government, senior management from these institutes (like Mark Dubowitz of FDD) lash out at Qatar, Iran and Turkey with vendetta to please their bosses.
In 2017, several media reports revealed that the UAE potentially funded the US-based groups, including CEP and FDD, which participated in a misleading campaign against Qatar. VP of MEMRI, Alberto Miguel Fernandezis a fellow at the Abu Dhabi’s TRENDS Research and Advisory. Apart from this, former minister Anwar Gargash who has been a mouth-piece for Abu Dhabi frequents MEMRI discussion panels.
Although use of softpower by foreign states has been an old practice, for example Edelman working with authoriatrian regimes including UAE. The planned exploitation of conflict zone issues to drag rivals clearly indicates merciless tactics of a media battle between gulf countries.
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