[ecrea] CFP_IJoC_ Gulf Crisis

OPEN CALL FOR PAPERS
“The Gulf Information War and the Role of Media and Communication 
Technologies”

An /International Journal of Communication/ (IJoC) Special Section on 
the recent Arab Gulf crisis.

Submission Deadline: January 30, 2018.
Guest Editors: Ilhem Allagui and Banu Akdenizli

We welcome submissions on the ongoing Gulf crisis and its sequels in the 
Gulf and Arab region.

The air and trade blockade on Qatar from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab 
Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, has entered its fourth month now; experts 
say that it has been the most severe crisis among the GCC countries so 
far, and another example of geopolitical/regional union gone astray.

The usual narrative about Arabian Gulf countries has been one of unity, 
close relationships, and mutual understanding be it on the economic, 
cultural, or socio-political level. Article 4 of the GCC charter speaks 
about a cooperative framework of “coordination, integration and 
inter-connection among the Member States in all fields in order to 
achieve unity”.

The blockade proves that the aspired unity is probably a myth or … just 
a narrative. For decades, and especially since Al-Jazeera’s 
establishment, GCC states have been expressing malaise and criticism 
towards Qatar urging its leaders to control Al-Jazeera’s coarse voice 
towards Arab regimes. Qatar’s diverse outreach initiatives, partnerships 
and alliances as well as its plans of self-preservation put Saudi 
Arabia’s geopolitics at unease, as evidenced by the punitive Saudi-led 
coalition against Qatar.

As quite it is often the case, populations trapped in this conflict 
turned to social media and networking sites to not only show loyalty to 
their respective leaders but to also engage in heated conversations with 
their regional neighbors.

Internet access has seen dramatic growth in the Gulf region: according 
to the ITU (2016) the percentage of individuals using the internet in 
Bahrain is at 98%, with Qatar closely following at 94%, United Arab 
Emirates at 91% and Saudi Arabia, 74%. Similarly, the use of social 
media has increased in the recent years, with now 99 % of individuals 
using social media in each of Qatar and the UAE, 78% in Bahrain and 59 % 
in Saudi Arabia (We Are Social, 2017). Qatar leads the penetration of 
social media on mobile with 95 %, while the UAE records 88, Bahrain 63, 
and Saudi Arabia 49 % of their populations using social media on mobiles 
(We Are Social and Hootsuite, 2017). Such high connectivity has the 
advantage of enabling civic participation especially in times of crisis, 
but it also comes with prejudice. Hacking represents a significant 
threat in the Gulf region, as evidenced by the repetitive cyber-attacks 
on regional financial institutions as well as media institutions 
including AlJazeera and more recently the Qatar News Agency, which was 
the spark of the Gulf crisis.

As of this writing, the outcome of this crisis remains to be seen, and 
its potential aftermath calls for inquiry.   Media and social media 
played an important role in escalating animosity between the countries’ 
populations, with some asperity. Bloggers and influencers have been at 
the upfront of societal conversations and confrontations. Aside from 
political intermediation, the governments have spent millions on media, 
lobbyists and consultants to influence the West and polish one’s image 
or even tarnish the other’s image.  Government agencies and 
representatives themselves are engaging in public and digital diplomacy 
efforts to manage their reputation and the crisis. Needless to say, 
there are many stakeholders when it comes to how the crisis is being 
played out in the digital landscape.

This Special Section of the IJoC about the Gulf crisis welcomes 
submissions that focus on any aspect of media, political communication, 
social media, public relations, or related topics. This is an 
opportunity to reflect on topics such as information war, public 
diplomacy, nation branding, political communication and conflict 
resolution from various perspectives. We are interested in theoretical 
as well as empirical papers that use comparative approaches, rhetorical 
analysis, semiotics, critical analysis, and we welcome other approaches 
as well that attempt to explain and reflect upon the Gulf crisis.

Topics could include but are not restricted to:

  * Media role/use in crisis
  * Social media role/use in crisis
  * Al-Jazeera’s role and impact on the crisis
  * Coverage of Gulf crisis in national and/or international media
  * Public diplomacy
  * Reputation management
  * Nation branding
  * Agenda setting and framing
  * Gulf information war, past and present
  * Public sphere, political participation
  * Identity and representation

The submissions, empirical or theoretical of 5000–7,000 words should 
follow the APA style (6th Ed.). See the author guidelines at 
http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/about/submissions#authorGuidelines. 
Submissions will undergo double-blind peer review.

Please send submissions by January 2018 to: Ilhem Allagui at 
(ilhem.allagui /at/ northwestern.edu) <mailto:(ilhem.allagui /at/ northwestern.edu)> 
and Banu Akdenizli at (banu.akdenizli /at/ northwestern.edu). We look forward 
to your articles for this Special Section.

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