In The News

Tools of Engagement

R. S. Zaharna October 4, 2006
A report from the US Government Accountability Office admits that the US confronts significant anti-American sentiment in the Islamic world. However, the report’s recommendation that the US must combine public relations and diplomacy “ignores the decline in US credibility,” argues R.S. Zaharna, communications professor, in “Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The US report urges repeating...

How to Buy Image

Ayman El-Amir October 2, 2006
Some Muslim leaders ponder the value of investing in Western media corporations to encourage greater appreciation of Islamic culture and ideas globally. But buying a new image is not so easy, and propaganda makes no profits, warns journalist Ayman El-Amir. “A successful media venture has to be an integral part of the socio-economic and political fabric of the nation,” he writes. Value systems...

What Went Wrong With the Dialogue Between Cultures?

Traugott Schoefthaler September 21, 2006
Cultural diversity in and of itself has value, and yet cultures continue to clash about which cultural practices work best for the world. Mutual respect for differences, along with language that can address those differences, is required in a civil world, argues author Traugott Schoefthaler. More than a billion Muslims throughout the world remain frustrated, questioning why Western values often...

Tragedy and Opportunity

Matthew Philips September 13, 2006
In February 2002, the parents of Daniel Pearl, a reporter for “The Wall Street Journal” received notice that their abducted son had been killed. Through the Daniel Pearl Foundation, his parents arrange for Muslim journalists to work as fellows in US newsrooms. The father, Judea Pearl, partners with Pakistani scholar Akbar Ahmed to sponsor dialogue about Islamic-Jewish relations and promote peace...

China Puts Stricter Limits on Distribution of Foreign News

Joseph Kahn September 12, 2006
China imposed broad new restrictions on foreign news released in the country – with the state-run China News Agency reviewing all news and photos. The agency vows to censor any content that threatens “national security” or promotes religious or cult activity. The new regulations will also restrict web sites, which have flourished in recent years. Motivation may not be solely political: Western...

Online Game, Made in US, Seizes the Globe

Seth Schiesel September 5, 2006
Almost 7 million people around the world join in playing World of Warcraft, an online game that offers true global competition. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment, based in California, the game breaks cultural barriers by appealing to a massive global audience and offering an increasing array of languages. In the past, popular interactive games attracted hundreds of thousands of players at most...

Indians Along With Half the World's Consumers Buy Into Globalization: Survey

August 31, 2006
More than half the world’s consumers believe that globalization has improved their lives and created new opportunities, according to an ACNielsen global consumer survey. Most of the support for globalization comes from Latin America, with 75 percent, and Asia Pacific, with 70 percent. Six of the top ten countries appreciating globalization were in Asia Pacific, including India and China. French...