Perspectives is a monthly opinion piece authored by leading practitioners and academics in the fields of public diplomacy and Arab media. The publication provides a forum to contextualize and analyze salient topics, concepts and developments that are of interest to the public diplomacy community as well as to Arab media followers. The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Layalina Productions, Inc.

 

 

Current Edition

Vol. V Issue 1, April 2013 "An Egyptian Tragedy"


In this issue Dr. Kamal, Senior Vice President at the Buck Institute, discusses the arrest of Egyptian political satirist Bassem Youssef. By drawing eerie parallels between President Mursi and his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, Dr. Kamal foresees the country heading towards an Iranian-style regime. Touching on issues of human rights, freedom of expression, and economic deterioration, Dr. Kamal calls for higher standards of government and political accountability. PDF

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Perspectives List

  • Vol. V Issue 1, April 2013 "An Egyptian Tragedy"

    By Dr. Raja KamalIn this issue Dr. Kamal, Senior Vice President at the Buck Institute, discusses the arrest of Egyptian political satirist Bassem Youssef. By drawing eerie parallels between President Mursi and his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, Dr. Kamal foresees the country heading towards an Iranian-style regime. Touching on issues of human rights, freedom of expression, and economic deterioration, Dr. Kamal calls for higher standards of government and political accountability. PDF

  • Vol. IV Issue 4, October 2012 "Partnerships for the Middle East and North Africa in 21st Century American Statecraft"

    By Kris M. Balderston and Joshua W. Walker In this issue, Kris M. Balderston, the Special Representative for Global Partnerships at the Global Partnership Initiative within the Office of the Secretary of State, and Joshua W. Walker, the senior advisor for the Middle East and North Africa in the Office of the Secretary's Global Partnership Initiative, discuss the Global Partnership Initiative, an approach to foreign policy that emphasizes building broad coalitions and comprehensive partnerships to address global challenges, and its role in the MENA region. PDF

  • Vol. IV Issue 2, February 2012 "Now is the Time for Religious Freedom in Post-'Arab Spring' Societies"

    By Jennifer S. Bryson In this issue, Jennifer Bryson, of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, discusses how promoting religious freedom in the post "Arab Spring" environment is vital for the people of this region and for the strategic interest of the U.S. PDF

  • Vol. IV Issue 1, January 2012 "Palestinian Media: A Reflection of Internal and Regional Political Fractures"

    By Julia Pitner In this issue, Julia Pitner, Chief of Party/Country Director for Internews Network, discusses the development of Palestinian media in addition to the influence of Hamas on media outlets in the West Bank and Gaza. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 9, September 2011 "Mutually Assured Self-Destructive Policies"

    By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir In this issue, Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, Senior Fellow at New York University's Center for Global Affairs, outlines the mutually self-destructive policies that have come to characterize the current Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority over the past thirty months. As the PA is now turning to the United Nations in an ultimate bid for recognition of the Palestinian State, Dr. Ben-Meir points out that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s position remains equally unflinching to pursue negotiations. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 8, August 2011 "A Vision for Strategic Communication"

    By Dr. Christopher Paul In this issue, Dr. Christopher Paul, social scientist at the RAND Corporation, outlines the foundation of strategic communication and proposes a series of recommendations to successfully use it to achieve US foreign policy objectives. Dr. Paul underlines that the lack of an official definition of strategic communication hinders elaborating effective strategies and policies. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 7, July 2011 "Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century"

    By Judith McHale In this issue, Judith McHale, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, discusses the impact of public diplomacy efforts at a time when the dissemination of information is becoming increasingly accessible. In that context, the Department of State has developed an arsenal of social media tools to engage with citizens worldwide and promote cross-cultural communications. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 6, June 2011 "Radical Islamist Terrorism after Osama bin Laden"

    By Jerrold Post In this issue, Jerrold Post analyzes the impact of Osama bin Laden’s death on Al-Qaeda and the terrorist organization’s future direction. More specifically, Dr. Post discusses bin Laden’s structuring of Al-Qaeda and his successor, Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s role in ensuring the organization’s resiliency. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 5, May 2011 "A New Milestone for America"

    By John Hamre In this issue, John Hamre analyzes the impact of Osama bin Laden’s death on the US and the Arab world. Hamre explains that although bin Laden’s role in the September 11, 2001 attacks is still vividly imprinted in the broader American psyche, he has long been ideologically and “politically dead” among Muslims. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 4, April 2011 "5 Myths about Islam and Muslims"

    By Hedieh Mirahmadi and Mehreen Farooq In this issue, Hedieh Mirahmadi and Mehreen Farooq discuss five myths affecting perceptions of Islam and Muslims. As radical Islamists continue to propagate these myths and portray Islam at odds with American values, it is necessary to debunk such misconceptions to facilitate positive relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 3, March 2011 "Washington’s Dilemma"

    By Lawrence Wilkerson In this issue, Lawrence Wilkerson, former US Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, assesses the age-old failures of US policy towards the East and the current administration’s shortcomings in both identifying and addressing feeble diplomatic tactics, warning that without inter-adjustments, America may miss its chance to become an effective guide in this promising era of global reforms in the Middle East and Asia. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 2, February 2011 "Islamic Media and the Shaping of an Arab Identity"

    By Ahmed Abu Haiba In this issue, Ahmed Abu Haiba, founder of 4shbab TV, debates the relevance and role of religious channels in the constuct of a new Islamic identity in the Arab world. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 11, December 2011 "President Obama and the Arab Change"

    By Amb. Osman Siddique In this issue, Ambassador Osman Siddique, discusses how the Obama Administration has successfully met the challenges brought by the tide of the Arab spring. Despite many tribulations, this administration has come to embody a visionary approach to the challenges of the 21st century PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 10, October 2011 "UN's Palestine Vote: The Aftermath"

    By Amb. Wendy Chamberlin In this issue, Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, President of the Middle East Institute, discusses the impact that the Palestinian statehood bid to UN General Assembly in September has had on the peace process. Noting the positive developments, she emphasizes her renewed optimism in the prospect of a solution, tempered by the current impasse on the settlements issue. PDF

  • Vol. III Issue 1, January 2011 "Reporting the Revolution: The New Voice of Arab Journalism"

    By Lawrence Pintak In this issue, Lawrence Pintak, founding dean ofThe Edward Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, comments on the evolution in reporting by Arab media who have been at the forefront of the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, becoming an agent of political and social change. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 9, September 2010 "The BBG's Honeymoon: All Work and No Play"

    By Matt Armstrong In this issue, Matt Armstrong, president of the MountainRunner Institute, argues that the newly confirmed Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) faces three main challenges as it repositions itself in the current international and local media environments. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 8, August 2010 "Freedom of Information: Reaching out to Iranians"

    By Helle Dale In this issue, Helle Dale, Senior Fellow for Public Diplomacy at the Heritage Foundation, argues that new media could empower democratic movements in countries such as Iran. Dale contends that the Department of State, still in the planning stages of its Internet Freedom Initiative, and is struggling to implement policies that meet challenges amidst bureaucratic bottleneck. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 7, July 2010 "Our Muslim Fellow Europeans"

    By Martin Rose In this issue, Martin Rose, director of the “Our Shared Europe” project at the British Council, the UK’s cultural diplomacy agency, explains that the social marginalization of Muslims in Europe over the past thirty years has led them to identify themselves through the religious prism to the detriment of their national identity. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 6, June 2010 "America as a Shopping Mall? U.S. Cultural Diplomacy in the Age of Obama"

    By John Brown In this issue, Dr. John Brown, adjunct professor of Liberal Studies and an Associate of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, defines cultural diplomacy as “a government’s presentation of a country’s culture(s) overseas.” In doing so, he deplores the gap to date between candidate Obama’s pledges on promoting cultural diplomacy and President Obama’s actions since assuming office. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 5, May 2010 "Overseas Posts: Central to Success in Public Diplomacy"

    By William Rugh Ambassador William Rugh, the Edward Murrow Visiting Professor of Public Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Tufts University, criticizes the public diplomacy literature for representing a Washington-centric point of view that omits the key role that Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) in the field play in explaining and implementing policies, "thus leaving out an important part of the story." PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 4, April 2010 "Arab Media: a Survey of an Imperfect Medium"

    By Morris Kalliny Dr. Morris Kalliny, Assistant Professor of International Business and Marketing at Missouri University of Science and Technology, discusses how Arab media underwent a democratization process over the past twenty years through marketing politics and technological innovations. Traditionally a platform for nationalist movements, media institutions progressively came under the control of Arab governments through “political patronization,” restricting any dissent from the public debate. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 3, March 2010 "Connecting Public Diplomacy and Policy"

    By Philip Seib Philip Seib, Director of the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy, discusses the power of technology and new media as a public diplomacy tool to build bridges worldwide. However, the persisting lack of coherence between public diplomacy and foreign policy remains a major obstacle in a successful engagement with communicating America’s intention to the Muslim world. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 2, February 2010 "The Ever-Expanding Global Electronic Town Meeting"

    By Alan Heil Alan Heil, former deputy director of VOA, discusses the benefits that new technology and the internet bring to Washington’s global engagement endeavors through U.S. publicly-funded civilian overseas networks and broadcasting. New technologies can bring people together and provide them with a voice over the internet, giving them a global outreach; this is what one knowledgeable observer defines as "a global electronic town meeting." PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 12, December 2010 "Winning the War against Islamic Extremism"

    By John Hughes In this issue, John Hughes, Professor of International Communications at Brigham Young University, describes Islamic extremism as the current threat to America, calling for military engagement and using of ideological weapons. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 11, November 2010 "New Media and Global Engagement"

    By Ed Bice In this issue, Ed Bice, Chairman and founding CEO of Meedan, argues that while social media have contributed to the advancement of global engagement and citizen diplomacy, numerous challenges such as language barrier highlight new media’s possibility in creating greater divides. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 10, October 2010 "Alhurra: Today, Tomorrow and Beyond"

    By Brian T. Conniff In this issue, Brian T. Conniff, President of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN), argues that the government-funded channel has managed to carve out a niche for itself in the competitive media market of the Middle East since its inception. PDF

  • Vol. II Issue 1, January 2010 "Foreign Affairs for the 21st Century"

    By William Kiehl William P. Kiehl, Editor of the online journal American Diplomacy, argues that funding imbalances and a lack of internal cohesion and interagency coordination have made the Department of State into "a junior partner [to the Department of Defense (DoD)] or an afterthought" in foreign affairs. Kiehl remarks that reform similar in scope to the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act is necessary for State to reassess its organizational structure. He concludes that State should be restructured to accommodate the many roles it must play through a broader mandate and authority to "encompass wide-ranging end-to-end coordination and management of foreign affairs from public diplomacy to development to trade." PDF

  • Vol. I Issue 8, December 2009 "From Cairo to Goldstone: US Credibility in the Arab World at Stake"

    By Nadia Bilbassy-Charters Nadia Bilbassy, Chief U.S. Correspondent for the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation, discusses how the U.S. response to the Goldstone report stood as one true test of President Obama's administration's rhetoric in promoting engagement with the Arab world. Bilbassy makes the case that he U.S. veto of the Goldstone report damaged America's credibility in the Middle East as reliable partner in promoting democracy and respect for human rights and further confirmed an accused bias towards Israel. PDF

  • Vol. I Issue 7, November 2009 "The Death of Public Diplomacy Has Been Greatly Exaggerated"

    By Dr. Nancy Snow Dr. Nancy Snow, Associate Professor of Public Diplomacy at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, discusses how U.S. credibility and standing abroad cannot solely hinge on the positive image of President Obama. PDF

  • Vol. I Issue 6, October 2009 "USIA: Gone but not Forgotten"

    By Dr. Nicholas Cull Dr. Nicholas Cull, Professor of Public Diplomacy and Director of the Masters Program in Public Diplomacy at USC, marks the ten year anniversary of the failed merger of USIA with the State Department. Once a "necessity of the Cold War," Dr. Cull remarks that the agency was quickly relegated to the back burner from the mid-nineties on, bringing about the demise of effective public diplomacy efforts until very recently. PDF

  • Vol. I Issue 5, September 2009 "Connecting Public Diplomacy and Policy"

    By Philip Seib Philip Seib, Director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, analyzes the discrepancies between public diplomacy and U.S. foreign policy, pointing at the fact that a balanced partnership between both is essential to achieve U.S. policy goals. PDF  

  • Vol. I Issue 4, August 2009 "The Need for a New Narrative"

    By Ambassador James K. Glassman Ambassador James K. Glassman, former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, analyzes President Obama's speech in Cairo and some pernicious stereotypes about the U.S. across the Muslim world. Glassman highlights that U.S. public diplomacy requires a new narrative and emphasizes the need for a more focused strategic communications effort. PDF

  • Vol. I Issue 3, July 2009 "Al-Jazeera: A Culture of Reporting"

    By Dr. Abderrahim Foukara Dr. Abderrahim Foukara, the Washington Bureau Chief of Al-Jazeera Network discusses the cultural subtleties affecting reporting between American media outlets and a major Arab one such as Al-Jazeera. PDF

  • Vol. I Issue 2, June 2009 "Social Media as Public Diplomacy"

    By Matt Armstrong Matt Armstrong, co-founder of Armstrong Strategic Insights Group, consultant, and publisher of MountainRunner, discusses the relevance of social media in today's public diplomacy. PDF

  • Vol. I Issue 1, May 2009 "Iraqi Media: Freedom or Chaos"

    By Ambassador Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaida'ie Iraqi Ambassador to the U.S. Samir S. Sumaida’ie analyzes the development of the media in Iraq in the post-Saddam era, where unregulated freedom of expression, sectarianism and violence have come to shape a public sphere that previously did not exist. PDF

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