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Abstract

This study investigates the discursive strategies and geopolitical legitimacy contestation surrounding the 2026 conflict between Iran, the United States, and Israel, as reported by Al-Jazeera Arabic. Utilizing Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework-comprising textual analysis, discourse practice, and sociocultural practice-the research decodes how media language constructs power relations and ideological hegemony. The data is sourced from ten purposively sampled Al-Jazeera reports, spanning multiple journalistic genres, published between February and March 2026. The findings reveal a significant discursive shift in Al-Jazeera's editorial framing. Textually, the use of symmetric prepositions such as "بين" (between) and the juxtaposition of military capabilities (e.g., US/Israel's "Air Supremacy" versus Iran's "Blinding tactics") elevate Iran from a traditional victim status to an equal geopolitical giant. However, through intertextuality and specific lexicon choices like "العدوان" (aggression) and "تأجيل الانفجار" (delaying the explosion), the media simultaneously frames Iran as an active source of continuous regional instability. At the sociocultural level, this discourse reflects the complex Arab geopolitical reality, balancing anti-Zionist sentiments with the Gulf states' profound anxieties over Iranian hegemony. Ultimately, this research demonstrates that language in media is not a neutral communicative tool, but rather a performative arena where geopolitical legitimacy is aggressively constructed, maintained, and contested.

References

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