"Many were nostalgic for the network's heyday, in the mid-2000s. During that period, the Emir of Qatar, who finances and hosts Al-Jazeera, was on the outs with the Saudi royal family, so he allowed the network to carry anti-authoritarian voices, including those critical of Saudi policies.As’ad Abu Khalil, a columnist for the Beirut-based Al-Akhbar daily and a professor of political science at California State University, wrote:
The network thrived and grew when the conflict with Saudi Arabia gave it a wide margin of freedom, when it was able to articulate the grievances of most, if not all, Arabs." (thanks Sultan)
