Can Al-Jazeera Topple Governments?

Al Jazeera: A Voice As Powerful As Countries -- Spiegel Online

The wave of protests in the Arab world has highlighted the power of Al-Jazeera, which has unparalleled influence in the Middle East. It has been banned from reporting on the unrest in Egypt, where its reporters have been targeted by Mubarak supporters. Governments in the region fear the station could be their undoing.

It is 10:22 a.m. and 7 seconds in Doha in the Emirate of Qatar, according to the red digital numbers on the studio clock. It's an hour earlier in Cairo. The anchorwoman, sitting in a sky-blue studio, is just switching over to the Egyptian capital, where several people were killed and wounded the night before in brutal attacks by regime loyalists against opponents of President Hosni Mubarak. Al-Jazeera is showing the images of the street fighting once again.

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My Comment: Short answer .... if not, it can deeply influence events in a country that would otherwise not happen. In the former Soviet Union .... and countries like China/Cuba/Iran/Libya/Syria/etc. today ... they all know how powerful the media is, and this is why they go through great lengths to limit and or stop it.

In the case of Egypt, the roots for revolution was already there, but networks like Al Jazeera, the BBC, and others .... they all helped in giving assurance to the opponents of the regime that they were not alone .... that together they can stand up to tyranny. No surprise .... the unrest and turmoil continues even right now in the center of Cairo.

I have not yet touched on the impact that the internet has had through Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube .... but that is another story.