Since beginning my position at Media Women Forum I've met ambassadors, ministers, representatives from embassies, the UN, UNICEF and other organizations of the like, but today we had a particularly politically significant guest attend a meeting at the Forum, none other than Thomas Friedman. Friedman, amongst other things, is an American New York Times columnist and a three times Pulitzer Prize winner. I own some of his work, including the book, "From Beirut to Jerusalem." I don't always agree with Freidman's opinions nor do I always support his intentions. However, he has extensive experience in and with the Middle East (though this was his first visit to Yemen) and is very influential in the international political scene, so I was excited to learn I would be attending a round table discussion which he would be leading.
It was one of those times where I felt like I was actually progressing in this field and was pleased that I was able to present questions of my own to Friedman during the meeting while be taken seriously in the process. I will most likely be writing about the event for Yemen Today magazine and was asked to write a press release for the event immediately following it's conclusion. That press release is posted on the following entry soon to be followed (inshallah) by my article.
Below is some information on Thomas Friedman for those who aren't familiar with him or his work:
Thomas Lauren Friedman is an American New York Times columnist and a three time Pulitzer Prize winning author (twice for International Reporting in 1983 and 1988 and once for Commentary in 2002). He has written extensively on foreign affairs including global trade, the Middle East and environmental issues has been a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board from 2004 until the present.
His works include:
From Beirut to Jerusalem (1989)
The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization (1999)
Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11 (2002; reprinted 2003 as Longitudes and Attitudes: The World in the Age of Terrorism)
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of The Twenty-first Century (2005)
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution And How It Can Renew America (2008)
Friedman was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis in July of 1953. In 1975, Friedman received a bachelor of arts in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University and then attended St Antony's College at the University of Oxford on a Marshall scholarship, earning an Masters of Philosophy in Middle Eastern studies.
Friedman joined the London bureau of United Press International after completing his masters degree. He was dispatched a year later to Beirut, where he stayed until 1981. He was then hired by The New York Times as a reporter, and was re-dispatched to Beirut at the start of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Friedman's coverage of the war, particularly the Sabra and Shatila massacre, won him the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. With David K. Shipler, he also won the 1982 George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting.
He was assigned to Jerusalem from 1984 to 1988, and received a second Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the First Palestinian Intifada. Afterwords he wrote a book, From Beirut to Jerusalem, describing his experiences in the Middle East.
Friedman covered Secretary of State James Baker during the administration of United States President George H. W. Bush. Following the election of Bill Clinton in 1992, he became the White House correspondent for the Times. In 1994, he began to write more about foreign policy and economics, and moved to the op-ed page of The New York Times the following year as a foreign affairs columnist. In 2002, Friedman won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary "for his clarity of vision, based on extensive reporting, in commenting on the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat."
In February 2002, Friedman met Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah and personally encouraged him to make his comprehensive attempt to end the Arab-Israeli conflict by normalizing Arab relations with Israel in exchange for the return of refugees alongside an end to the Israel territorial occupations. Abdullah proposed the Arab Peace Initiative at the Beirut Summit that March, which Friedman has strongly supported since. Friedman is the recipient of the 2004 Overseas Press Club Award for lifetime achievement, and has been named to the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
Information taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Friedman
It was one of those times where I felt like I was actually progressing in this field and was pleased that I was able to present questions of my own to Friedman during the meeting while be taken seriously in the process. I will most likely be writing about the event for Yemen Today magazine and was asked to write a press release for the event immediately following it's conclusion. That press release is posted on the following entry soon to be followed (inshallah) by my article.
Below is some information on Thomas Friedman for those who aren't familiar with him or his work:
Thomas Lauren Friedman is an American New York Times columnist and a three time Pulitzer Prize winning author (twice for International Reporting in 1983 and 1988 and once for Commentary in 2002). He has written extensively on foreign affairs including global trade, the Middle East and environmental issues has been a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board from 2004 until the present.
His works include:
From Beirut to Jerusalem (1989)
The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization (1999)
Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11 (2002; reprinted 2003 as Longitudes and Attitudes: The World in the Age of Terrorism)
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of The Twenty-first Century (2005)
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution And How It Can Renew America (2008)
Friedman was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis in July of 1953. In 1975, Friedman received a bachelor of arts in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University and then attended St Antony's College at the University of Oxford on a Marshall scholarship, earning an Masters of Philosophy in Middle Eastern studies.
Friedman joined the London bureau of United Press International after completing his masters degree. He was dispatched a year later to Beirut, where he stayed until 1981. He was then hired by The New York Times as a reporter, and was re-dispatched to Beirut at the start of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Friedman's coverage of the war, particularly the Sabra and Shatila massacre, won him the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. With David K. Shipler, he also won the 1982 George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting.
He was assigned to Jerusalem from 1984 to 1988, and received a second Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the First Palestinian Intifada. Afterwords he wrote a book, From Beirut to Jerusalem, describing his experiences in the Middle East.
Friedman covered Secretary of State James Baker during the administration of United States President George H. W. Bush. Following the election of Bill Clinton in 1992, he became the White House correspondent for the Times. In 1994, he began to write more about foreign policy and economics, and moved to the op-ed page of The New York Times the following year as a foreign affairs columnist. In 2002, Friedman won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary "for his clarity of vision, based on extensive reporting, in commenting on the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat."
In February 2002, Friedman met Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah and personally encouraged him to make his comprehensive attempt to end the Arab-Israeli conflict by normalizing Arab relations with Israel in exchange for the return of refugees alongside an end to the Israel territorial occupations. Abdullah proposed the Arab Peace Initiative at the Beirut Summit that March, which Friedman has strongly supported since. Friedman is the recipient of the 2004 Overseas Press Club Award for lifetime achievement, and has been named to the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
Information taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Friedman
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