Donald Trump is the most famous advocate of Twitter diplomacy but he is not the only high-profile politician to delight in using the site to wind up his enemies. In the Middle East, old opponents are also taking a leaf out of the Trump playbook.
The latest spat is between the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, with the latter taking offence at the Emirates’ foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed, who retweeted a message accusing Turkey of committing a war crime in 1916. The Turkish government responded by accusing him of spreading a ‘propaganda lie that seeks to turn Turks [and] Arabs against one another’.
Things did not stop here: the Mayor of Ankara added fuel to the fire by vowing to rename the street where the embassy of the United Arab Emirates is located after Fakhri Pasha, an Ottoman-era military commander, in a bid to further wind up the UAE.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in