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Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic Dossier
International Relations and Social Networks
July 2021
130
QATAR'S COMMUNICATION STRATEGY AND THE RESOLUTION OF THE
DIPLOMATIC CONFLICT IN THE GULF
ANA ISABEL GONZÁLEZ SANTAMARÍA
ana.gonzalez@esic.edu
PhD in Applied Economics. Postgraduate Course on Economic Intelligence and Security.
Economist specialised in Arab countries and their economic relations with the EU. Professor in
ESIC Business and Marketing School as well as in several masters and postgraduate courses.
Senior researcher in the research project group of CEMRES (Euro-Maghreb Center for Research
and Strategic Studies) since 2014. She was in charge of the Business Program of Casa Árabe and
worked as a Market Analyst at the Spanish Commercial Office in Amman (Jordan)
Abstract
On the 5th of June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain
announced the rupture of diplomatic relations and the closure of borders with Qatar in
response to its alleged support for terrorist activities destabilising the region. In order to
revert the situation, 13 demands were made, which Qatar refuses to meet.
Qatar was isolated within the Gulf Cooperation Council and its international image was
damaged, particularly after the Trump Administration backed the blockade. In these trying
circumstances, Qatar has managed to resist by developing a public diplomacy that integrates
the analogue and digital environments in which communications play a vital role. Qatar has
protested its innocence before regional and international public opinion, and it has denounced
the anti-Qatar campaign and fake news stories that flooded social media, particularly Twitter,
before and during the first months of the crisis.
It has developed a communication strategy showing its willingness to open dialogue, respect
for international bodies where it defended its cause, together with diplomatic activities
reinforcing its positions before very diverse actors such as the United States, international
bodies, Kuwait and Turkey. Qatar used this strategy to transform its online influence into
offline diplomatic influence until it succeeded in getting Kuwait to act as mediator, with the
support of the United States, in order to put an end to the blockade, which was the top goal
of its foreign policy.
Keywords
Communication; blockade; digital diplomacy; Qatar; public diplomacy.
How to cite this article
Santamaría, Ana Isabel González. Qatar's communication strategy and the resolution of the
diplomatic conflict in the Gulf. Thematic dossier International Relations and Social Networks,
July 2021. Consulted [online] on date of last visit, https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-
7251.DT21.9
Article received on January 5, 2021 and accepted for publication on March 18, 2021
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations
e-ISSN: 1647-7251
Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 130-142
Qatar’s communication strategy and the resolution of the diplomatic conflict in the Gulf
Ana Isabel González Santamaría
131
QATAR'S COMMUNICATION STRATEGY AND THE RESOLUTION OF
THE DIPLOMATIC CONFLICT IN THE GULF
1
ANA ISABEL GONZÁLEZ SANTAMARÍA
1. Introduction
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was created in 1981 and it is formed by: Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. It is a political
and economic alliance with the goal of fostering cooperation in all areas. The presidency
of the GCC rotates every year and it is headquartered in Riyadh. The highest decision-
making entity, the Supreme Council of Heads of State, meets annually.
The GCC constituted an example of cooperation for the Arab world until the 2017 crisis.
From an economic point of view, it is the Arab space with the highest degree of
integration, its highest achievement being the creation of a common market that came
into effect on the 1st of January 2008. This involved the free movement of people, goods
and capital. Despite some failed initiatives such as the creation of a single currency in
2010, the GCC has succeeded in connecting the electrical grids of the six countries and
started a project in 2009 to connect railway networks transporting both passengers and
goods. The diplomatic crisis changed the outline of this project created to connect Saudi
Arabia and Qatar, which was later expanded to the rest of the countries (Keynoush,
2020)
2
.
Cooperation in the area of Defence came into effect with the creation of the Peninsula
Shield Force in 1984, with headquarters in Saudi Arabia, and was expanded in 2004 with
the signature of a pact for sharing intelligence. The Shield Force has been deployed
numerous times, the most significant occasion taking place in 2011 when the Bahrain
government requested help in order to control the strong protests in its territory.
The diplomatic crisis undoubtedly marks a before and after for the GCC and puts into
question the entirety of the cooperation carried out throughout 36 years. It also casts
doubts on the possibility of making more progress in the area of political and economic
integration. In addition, it has affected the geopolitics of the Middle East and generated
new alliances and alignments, which have effects that are difficult to predict.
1
Article translated by Najual Traductores & Intérpretes.
2
https://insidearabia.com/gcc-railway-project-held-up-by-financial-problems-and-qatars-exclusion/.