This essay avoids plunging into an analysis of concepts related to the Arab audiovisual scene, which has experimented a significant evolution in recent decades both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Instead, it offers interested readers a presentation in two parts. The first part, devoted to the emergence of Qatari TV channel Aljazeera, analyzes the impact of national as well as religious factors in the shaping of the channel's public imagery. In the second part, the essay focuses on Aljazeera's foreign policy role in support of the State of Qatar's diplomacy. Qatar aims at becoming a relevant actor both at a regional and international levels, significantly exceeding the limits imposed by its geographical size. Aljazeera's role goes hand in hand with Qatar's legitimate political aspirations within a heterogeneous and rather diverse regional media framework in which all regional actors (each in their own way) persist in the attempt at owning the «delicate force» mentioned by the author.
Regional dominance, audiovisual scene, inter-Arab relations, fundamentalism, Arab satellite TV channels.