Voices of the New Arab Public

Iraq, al-Jazeera, and Middle East Politics Today

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Journalism, History, Middle East, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Voices of the New Arab Public by Marc Lynch, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Marc Lynch ISBN: 9780231508810
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: January 4, 2006
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Marc Lynch
ISBN: 9780231508810
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: January 4, 2006
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Marx After Marx by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Contemporary Drift by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Time and the Other by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Juggling Identities by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Design Thinking for the Greater Good by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Levinas and the Cinema of Redemption by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book The People’s Money by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Why Civil Resistance Works by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Lifting Our Voices by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Conflict, Conquest, and Conversion by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic Mammals of North America by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Speaking for Buddhas by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Specters of Slapstick and Silent Film Comediennes by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Parallel Lines by Marc Lynch
Cover of the book Striking Beauty by Marc Lynch
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy