30
January 2018
Past Event
Broadcasting Change: Arabic Media as a Catalyst for Liberalism

Broadcasting Change: Arabic Media as a Catalyst for Liberalism

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
January 30, 2018
30
January 2018
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Joseph Braude

Advisor, Al-Mesbar Center & Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute

Ambassador Alberto Fernandez

President, Middle East Broadcasting Networks

Adam Garfinkle

Founding Editor, The American Interest

Eric Brown

Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

Given the turmoil in the Middle East, liberals in Arabic-speaking countries have been routinely dismissed as too small in number to make a difference. Yet today, Arab liberals lead some of the largest regional media outlets, using their broadcasts to promote religious toleration and pluralism, civil society, gender equality, and rule of law.

In his recent book, Broadcasting Change: Arabic Media as a Catalyst for Liberalism, Middle East specialist Joseph Braude–a participant in Arabic media–vividly portrays how the ongoing struggle between reformers and hardliners in Saudi Arabian comedy, drama, and news broadcasts have helped tipped the scale towards reform. The book illustrates that some of the most effective Arab liberal activists do not define their struggle in terms of a zero-sum conflict between an authoritarian regime and its people, but instead seek to strengthen reformist trends while isolating hardline and corrupt elements within government and among the population.

Arab liberals in the media now seek international partners. With the new National Security Strategy’s emphasis on “Competitive Engagement,” how can the United States work to bolster the efforts of these reformers in Arab media? What forms of assistance would best serve these media messages without undermining their legitimacy?

On January 30th, Hudson Institute hosted a discussion to assess the challenges to strengthening reformist media in the Arab World. The panel consisted of Joseph Braude, Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and advisor at the Al-Mesbar Center for Research and Studies in Dubai; Ambassador Alberto Fernandez, President, Middle East Broadcasting Networks; Adam Garfinkle, Editor, The American Interest; and Eric Brown, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute.

Related Events
08
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
North American Energy Preeminence Forum
Featured Speakers:
John Desjarlais
Lisa Baiton
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Julia Nesheiwat
Rachel Ziemba
Paul Dabbar
Robert Asselin
George Christidis
Brian McCormick
Christopher Sands
Steve Myers
Michael Catanzaro
Moderators:
Brigham McCown
Heather Exner-Pirot
Jamie Tronnes
Pumpjack in a field with snow covered mountains in Alberta, Canada. (Michael Interisano/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
08
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
North American Energy Preeminence Forum

Join Hudson and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute for a daylong conference with energy and security experts, industry representatives, and policymakers. The forum will discuss how Washington and Ottawa can work together to leverage emerging technologies and North America’s abundant energy resources to build energy security and limit authoritarian states’ influence in global energy markets.

Pumpjack in a field with snow covered mountains in Alberta, Canada. (Michael Interisano/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
John Desjarlais
Lisa Baiton
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Julia Nesheiwat
Rachel Ziemba
Paul Dabbar
Robert Asselin
George Christidis
Brian McCormick
Christopher Sands
Steve Myers
Michael Catanzaro
Moderators:
Brigham McCown
Heather Exner-Pirot
Jamie Tronnes
12
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Myth of American Inequality
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Senator Phil Gramm
US flags fly in front of the White House on October 3, 2024. (Valerie Plesch/picture alliance via Getty Images)
12
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Myth of American Inequality

At Hudson, Senator Gramm and Hudson President and CEO John P. Walters will discuss how economic statistics suggest cohesion rather than divergence among Americans, and why this cohesion is likely to continue.

US flags fly in front of the White House on October 3, 2024. (Valerie Plesch/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Senator Phil Gramm
13
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Addressing Threats to Digital Rights in Hong Kong
Featured Speakers:
Olivia Enos
Ambassador Derek Mitchell
Anouk Wear
Yaqiu Wang
Joey Siu
An electronics shop employee in Hong Kong on October 18, 2017, looks at television sets showing a news report on China's President Xi Jinping's speech at the opening session of the Chinese Communist Party's five-yearly Congress. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)
13
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Addressing Threats to Digital Rights in Hong Kong

Join Hudson for an expert panel event that will discuss Hong Kong Watch’s latest report, Invisible Decline: Violations of Digital Rights in Hong Kong and Their Impact.

An electronics shop employee in Hong Kong on October 18, 2017, looks at television sets showing a news report on China's President Xi Jinping's speech at the opening session of the Chinese Communist Party's five-yearly Congress. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Olivia Enos
Ambassador Derek Mitchell
Anouk Wear
Yaqiu Wang
Joey Siu
13
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Competing with China on Critical Minerals
Featured Speakers:
Mike Gallagher
James Litinsky
An aerial view of the Mountain Pass mining facility in California. (MP Materials)
13
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Competing with China on Critical Minerals

Hudson’s Mike Gallagher will host James Litinsky, chairman and CEO of MP Materials, to discuss the role of these vital resources in PRC-US competition and what Washington can do to emerge victorious.

An aerial view of the Mountain Pass mining facility in California. (MP Materials)
Featured Speakers:
Mike Gallagher
James Litinsky