As has been demonstrated over the last eight years, when it comes to the Middle East, the current US administration, is clueless. That's why I was not surprised to read in today's Washington Post that after blowing $350 million of the US taxpayer's money on an Arabic-language TV network by the name of al-Hurra, the bureau's satellite link was unplugged with little explanation a few weeks ago by a local company, making it impossible to broadcast live.
Since then, staffers have had to use a studio controlled by the Egyptian secret police, who have warned guests not to say anything controversial on the air. Which is funny when you consider al-Hurra means "The Free One" in Arabic, and is the centerpiece of yet another U.S. government campaign to spread democracy in the Middle East. Created in 2003, as a supposed counterweight to hugely popular al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based network that has built a large following in the Middle East with aggressive coverage of the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.
But it would seem that the boobs running al-Hurra, didn't have much of a clue... In 2004, when an Israeli airstrike killed the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, virtually all Arabic news channels interrupted their regular programming. Al-Hurra continued with a cooking show. I guess you have to get your priorities right!
I can accept that there are criticisms to be made of al-Hurra. However, the attempt, however clumsy, to spread democracy and to introduce the notion of a free press in the Middle East is to be commended. Standards of press freedom and free speech in the dictatorships of that region are disgraceful. It's a bit facile to criticise the US administration for this.
George Parker
Blogging for:
Member since: 03 Jun 2008
Last login: 17 Nov 2009
Total Posts: 831
