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Voices of the New Arab Public: Iraq, al-Jazeera, and Middle East Politics Today
Al-Jazeera and other satellite television stations have transformed Arab politics over the last decade. By shattering state control over information and giving a platform to long-stifled voices, these new Arab media have challenged the status quo by encouraging open debate about Iraq, Palestine, Islamism, Arab identity, and other vital political and social issues. These public arguments have redefined what it means to be Arab and reshaped the realm of political possibility. As Marc Lynch shows, the days of monolithic Arab opinion are over. How Arab governments and the United States engage this newly confident and influential public sphere will profoundly shape the future of the Arab world.
Marc Lynch draws on interviews conducted in the Middle East and analyses of Arab satellite television programs, op-ed pages, and public opinion polls to examine the nature, evolution, and influence of the new Arab public sphere. Lynch, who pays close attention to what is actually being said and talked about in the Arab world, takes the contentious issue of Iraq-which has divided Arabs like no other issue-to show how the media revolutionized the formation and expression of public opinion. He presents detailed discussions of Arab arguments about sanctions and the 2003 British and American invasion and occupation of Iraq. While Arabs strongly disagreed about Saddam's regime, they increasingly saw the effects of sanctions as a potent symbol of the suffering of all Arabs. Anger and despair over these sanctions shaped Arab views of America, their governments, and themselves.
Lynch also suggests how the United States can develop and improve its engagement with the Arab public sphere. He argues that the United States should move beyond treating the Arab public sphere as either an enemy to be defeated or an object to be manipulated via public relations. Instead of wasting vast sums of money on a satellite television station nobody watches, the United States should enter the public sphere as it really exists.
Marc Lynch draws on interviews conducted in the Middle East and analyses of Arab satellite television programs, op-ed pages, and public opinion polls to examine the nature, evolution, and influence of the new Arab public sphere. Lynch, who pays close attention to what is actually being said and talked about in the Arab world, takes the contentious issue of Iraq-which has divided Arabs like no other issue-to show how the media revolutionized the formation and expression of public opinion. He presents detailed discussions of Arab arguments about sanctions and the 2003 British and American invasion and occupation of Iraq. While Arabs strongly disagreed about Saddam's regime, they increasingly saw the effects of sanctions as a potent symbol of the suffering of all Arabs. Anger and despair over these sanctions shaped Arab views of America, their governments, and themselves.
Lynch also suggests how the United States can develop and improve its engagement with the Arab public sphere. He argues that the United States should move beyond treating the Arab public sphere as either an enemy to be defeated or an object to be manipulated via public relations. Instead of wasting vast sums of money on a satellite television station nobody watches, the United States should enter the public sphere as it really exists.
- GenresMiddle EastNonfiction
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 6, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
June 19, 2022
Pretty darn solid. An apt title. It calls attention to a very wide swath of viewpoints. Arabic news stations, tv shows, soap operas & reality shows are vividly captured in regards to Iraq. For an outsider like me, it’s highly illuminating and casts a clear light over the vast territory of the Arabic-speaking world. One gets to listen to the differences between Kuwait’s relations w/Iraq and, say, Jordan’s relations w/Iraq. It’s a pretty good book, short & to the point, it manages to not stray on tangential issues while including a colorful & lengthy list of quotations from influential journalists, activists and the like.
Al-Jazeera recieves a great deal of attention, and critically thinking folks will likely compare the most widely accessible Arabic news media to what they see broadcast in their own countries. The tactics employed for the sake of market share, the standards that are muted, the strategies that stem from sensationalism, and so on. And yet, al-Jazeera is something else! How they aired programs for open debates and how little they censored in speech of their guests, and how frequently they gave voice to unscripted dialogue. To hear of major news media celebrities on al-Jazeera and how they approached the two most concerning topics of public opinion, summed up as, Palestine and Iraq.
The book focuses on Iraq, explores, and perceives a burgeoning reality. Satellites, basically, led to TVs, radios, & to the news of other Arabic nations, and ultimately gave rise to a perceptible public opinion amongst Arabic peoples. The author uncovers, dispels, and explains. I’d recommend it for those interested in poli-sci, journalism viz. al-Jazeera, or Iraq.
Al-Jazeera recieves a great deal of attention, and critically thinking folks will likely compare the most widely accessible Arabic news media to what they see broadcast in their own countries. The tactics employed for the sake of market share, the standards that are muted, the strategies that stem from sensationalism, and so on. And yet, al-Jazeera is something else! How they aired programs for open debates and how little they censored in speech of their guests, and how frequently they gave voice to unscripted dialogue. To hear of major news media celebrities on al-Jazeera and how they approached the two most concerning topics of public opinion, summed up as, Palestine and Iraq.
The book focuses on Iraq, explores, and perceives a burgeoning reality. Satellites, basically, led to TVs, radios, & to the news of other Arabic nations, and ultimately gave rise to a perceptible public opinion amongst Arabic peoples. The author uncovers, dispels, and explains. I’d recommend it for those interested in poli-sci, journalism viz. al-Jazeera, or Iraq.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review