Distinctive Narrative of the Ukraine War in the Arab World

Abstract

The article deals with distinctive statements released by certain Arab states, including responses of political leaders or parties operating in the MENA region. These statements differ from neutral positions that dominated in the Arab world. The research argues that the narrative of the statements reflect emotional and explicit reactions to the ongoing situation in Ukraine from local perspectives, as in the case of Lebanon or Syria. However, the study also argues that claims declared by opposition leaders and political factions in Lebanon, Libya or Sudan contradict the official statements released by authorities of these countries. In addition, the analysis is confronted with inexplicit claims of the Gulf countries which demonstrate differences in the narrative of the Ukraine war. Moreover, the article reflects various contexts and complex social, political and economic conditions that affect the statements. However, the research also demonstrates the importance of stylistic features applied in the statements. Thus, particular words and phrases in Arabic reinforce the messages and express certain stands of local authorities and political leaders towards the Ukraine war and geopolitical tensions.