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2.54 MB
Extraction Summary
5
People
7
Organizations
6
Locations
4
Events
2
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Report excerpt / article / narrative account
File Size:
2.54 MB
Summary
This document appears to be a page from a narrative report or article discussing U.S.-Arab relations post-9/11. The unnamed author details their involvement with 'Hi Magazine' in 2003-2004, a State Department initiative overseen by Charlotte Beers and Karen Hughes, and describes a research tour through the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco to gauge Arab sentiment toward the U.S. It mentions the Arab Spring and the death of Osama bin Laden, placing the writing date after May 2011.
People (5)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| El Aschkar | Mentioned individual |
Described as a 'bunk merchant' spreading misinformation.
|
| Osama bin Laden | Deceased Terrorist Leader |
Mentioned in the context of his death and political facts.
|
| Charlotte Beers | Former Ad Executive |
Oversaw the State Department public-diplomacy initiative.
|
| Karen Hughes | Bush communications czar |
Oversaw the State Department public-diplomacy initiative.
|
| Unknown Author | Narrator/Writer |
First-person narrator who steered 'Hi Magazine' editorially in 2003-2004.
|
Organizations (7)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| State Department |
Poured millions into public-diplomacy initiatives.
|
|
| Voice of America |
Cited as a model for new initiatives.
|
|
| Radio Free Europe |
Cited as a model for new initiatives.
|
|
| Radio Sawa |
Created as part of the initiative.
|
|
| Alhurra |
Created as part of the initiative.
|
|
| Hi Magazine |
Magazine sold in 20 Arab countries, steered by the author.
|
|
| al Qaeda |
Mentioned regarding responsibility for 9/11.
|
Timeline (4 events)
Locations (6)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Referred to as America/U.S.
|
|
|
Region of focus for the diplomacy initiative.
|
|
|
Location visited during research tour.
|
|
|
Location visited during research tour.
|
|
|
Location visited during research tour.
|
|
|
Location visited during research tour.
|
Relationships (2)
Both oversaw the State Department public-diplomacy initiative.
Author steered Hi Magazine editorially in 2003 and 2004.
Key Quotes (4)
"This duality—desperate need for love entwined with either willful ignorance or even nuanced hate—has underlain the Arab view of America for a generation"Source
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Quote #1
"shout louder than increasingly sophisticated bunk merchants like El Aschkar"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025023.jpg
Quote #2
"Ask about basic political facts—al Qaeda’s responsibility for 9/11, or the death of Osama bin Laden—and even the most educated will start popping off inanities."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025023.jpg
Quote #3
"Hi, sold on newsstands in 20 Arab countries, was charged with providing a window into, and dialogue with, the U.S. for Arabs between 18 and 35."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025023.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (1,979 characters)
27
This duality—desperate need for love entwined with either willful
ignorance or even nuanced hate—has underlain the Arab view of
America for a generation, unchanged even by the collapse of the
Twin Towers. But based on my recent trip across the region, a
confluence—Arab Spring and the technology that empowered it—has
provided the U.S. a new chance to push reset with a half-billion
Arabs, as long as it can shout louder than increasingly sophisticated
bunk merchants like El Aschkar.
Ask about basic political facts—al Qaeda’s responsibility for 9/11, or
the death of Osama bin Laden—and even the most educated will start
popping off inanities.
I’ve been dealing with this frustrating relationship for much of the
past decade. Shortly after 9/11, in an effort to win Arab “hearts and
minds” in the mold of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe,
the State Department poured hundreds of millions into a new public-
diplomacy initiative, overseen by former ad executive Charlotte Beers
and then Bush communications czar Karen Hughes. In short order
came Radio Sawa (“together”), television’s Alhurra (“the free one”)
and Hi Magazine (named for the one English word the whole world
knows), which, inspired by the post-9/11 call to service, I steered
editorially in print and online in 2003 and 2004.
Hi, sold on newsstands in 20 Arab countries, was charged with
providing a window into, and dialogue with, the U.S. for Arabs
between 18 and 35. To maximize the project’s efficacy, I conducted
perhaps the most extensive qualitative study of Arab sentiment about
America in the post-9/11 era. With two colleagues, I traveled across
the Arab world—the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Lebanon, and
Morocco—for two weeks on what we called a “listening research
tour,” interviewing scores of young Arabs individually, in focus
groups and at giant roundtables, using Hi as proxy for the region’s
perpetual question: what do you think about the U.S.? While the
ignorance or even nuanced hate—has underlain the Arab view of
America for a generation, unchanged even by the collapse of the
Twin Towers. But based on my recent trip across the region, a
confluence—Arab Spring and the technology that empowered it—has
provided the U.S. a new chance to push reset with a half-billion
Arabs, as long as it can shout louder than increasingly sophisticated
bunk merchants like El Aschkar.
Ask about basic political facts—al Qaeda’s responsibility for 9/11, or
the death of Osama bin Laden—and even the most educated will start
popping off inanities.
I’ve been dealing with this frustrating relationship for much of the
past decade. Shortly after 9/11, in an effort to win Arab “hearts and
minds” in the mold of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe,
the State Department poured hundreds of millions into a new public-
diplomacy initiative, overseen by former ad executive Charlotte Beers
and then Bush communications czar Karen Hughes. In short order
came Radio Sawa (“together”), television’s Alhurra (“the free one”)
and Hi Magazine (named for the one English word the whole world
knows), which, inspired by the post-9/11 call to service, I steered
editorially in print and online in 2003 and 2004.
Hi, sold on newsstands in 20 Arab countries, was charged with
providing a window into, and dialogue with, the U.S. for Arabs
between 18 and 35. To maximize the project’s efficacy, I conducted
perhaps the most extensive qualitative study of Arab sentiment about
America in the post-9/11 era. With two colleagues, I traveled across
the Arab world—the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Lebanon, and
Morocco—for two weeks on what we called a “listening research
tour,” interviewing scores of young Arabs individually, in focus
groups and at giant roundtables, using Hi as proxy for the region’s
perpetual question: what do you think about the U.S.? While the
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025023
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