Methods of framing diplomatic crises in the Arab Gulf region: A comparative analytical study within the framework of the Argumentation model

The study aimed to monitor and document the performance of news websites on their various orientations, according to the ideology of the countries where those sites are issued. During an important period in the history of the Arab region, as that period witnessed a significant event, represented in the severing of diplomatic relations with Qatar, from the side of the four Arab countries; Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, accusing the Qatari regime of interfering in the interior affairs of them and threatening their national security. The study depended on the argumentation model to illustrate how the news websites support its political orientations during the period of conflict. The study defined the sample in two periods: the first, from 5^th June   to 5^th July 2017, the second, from 5^th June   to 5^th July 2018. the news websites included 309 news items.
The results of the study showed the predominance of “conflict” and “severing” as news frames. The CNN and the BBC were the quietest in dealing with the crisis, which is due to the fact that the USA and the UK are not considered part of the conflict however, the United States was trying to end the diplomatic crisis. While Daily Sabah and Al-Arab Al-Qataria encouraged the Kuwaiti and Omani situation, because they did not cut their relations with Qatar. The Daily Sabah defended the Qatari situation, as Turkey is the first ally of Qatar, especially in the light of the tense relations between Egypt and Turkey. As for Al-Ahram, it was the only news website that focused on the Qatari conspiracy against Egypt and the countries which were afflicted by the Arab Spring, and what happened in Libya in terms of Qatar attempts to assassinate Haftar.