The University continues to be an active participant in the global discussion surrounding relations between the United States and the Middle East.
The most recent forum, which focused on United States-Middle East media relations, was held Thursday night in Houston Hall.
Co-sponsored by Americans for Informed Democracy and the Middle East Institute, the town hall meeting brought together three internationally renowned experts on the current state of media relations between the regions.
Attendee and College freshman Bonnie Waring said that "meetings like this one, especially with such great attendance, are a very important part of increasing student awareness about global issues."
David Chambers*, MEI director of programs, opened the panel by discussing the influence of two major shapers of international public opinion: President George W. Bush's chief political strategist, Karl Rove, and Osama bin Laden.
Chambers spoke "not of their position as spin doctors, but as spin masters," and compared Karl Rove's guidance of Bush's presidential campaign to Shakespeare's Henry V.
He stated that Rove has succeeded in creating a hero for the people, an "invincible cowboy," but that this projection has had dire repercussions in the Middle East, where such cultural images have been interpreted as aggressive.
Richard Cramer, a Pulitzer Prize winner and author of How Israel Lost: The Four Questions, expounded on the current situation between Israel and Palestine. Cramer spoke of the willful incompetence shown by current leaders, and how they are "born from this conflict and subsequently enriched by it."
Cramer explained that Israel has "slid into being an occupational power," and that its leaders are forsaking the original values of the country.
The final panelist, Claude Salhani, a renowned journalist and author of Black September to Desert Storm: A Journalist in the Middle East, spoke of the importance and role of the Middle Eastern free media.
Salhani emphasized the critical importance of "the al-Jazeeras," his generic term for the 120 independent television stations of the Middle East.
By presenting objective news and competing against government media monopolies, "they have accomplished the paramount objective of pushing the doors open for Middle Eastern media."
Most students responded positively to the opinions presented, but others were not completely satisfied.
Some attendees said the panelists were too worried about "advancing their own agendas," according to College freshman Uri Friedman.
"But overall, I thought it was a great experience," Friedman added. "The more people that are informed about such a crucial part of the world, the better." Correction: This article reported that David Chambers, director of programs for the Middle East Institute, compared political strategist Karl Rove's guidance of President Bush's campaign to Shakespeare's Henry V. In fact, Chambers was pointing out that the Syrian-written play The King Is the King might more accurately represent the situation according to Muslim perspectives. The article also described Chambers' discussion as focused on Karl Rove and Osama bin Laden, when in fact Chambers was discussing Rove and a theoretical political strategist for bin Laden.
