Here's the blurb I wrote covering Thomas Friedman's visit to Media Women Forum for Yemen Today Magazine:
“Yemen is in the making, not in the failing.” This was the message given to Thomas Friedman by ten leaders in Yemeni media at the conclusion of the discussion that took place Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at Media Women Forum in Sana’a. The meeting marked Friedman first visit to Yemen and addressed issues regarding Yemen’s political situation, development, United States contribution and dismantlement of Al-Qaeda.
Thomas Friedman, American New York Times columnist and three times Pulitzer Prize winner, began the conversation openly, recognizing the sudden interest in Yemen by the United States as the result of Al-Qaeda’s activity. While Friedman acknowledged the complexity of the various situations in Yemen, he feels “what Yemen needs are the simple things.” Good governance and a sturdy educational system were amongst those mentioned requiring an attentive and active government.
The question from Yemeni journalists was how to initiate this process of reform. To this, Friedman responded, “You always have to look for where the leverage is with your government...find the leverage on the president that he will embrace, don’t just use one force against the other.” He continued by adding, “At the end of the day, change has to come from within.”
Freidman cited the Camp David Peace Agreements between Egypt and Israel as an example of Middle Eastern countries taking initiative in the international political sphere and cemented his point with the analogy, “In the history of the world, no one’s ever washed a rented car. People from this part of the world have long rented their cars from their country’s kings and dictators, are you ready to own the car?”
Comparing Yemen’s situation to Taiwan (another country of 23 million), Friedman continued by calling to attention the untapped human capitol in Yemen, using Taiwan’s success as an example of what Yemen could achieve.
For the United States, Friedman sees Yemen as a chance to reevaluate past approaches to terrorism. His advice for the U.S. government is, “if for every one drone you send, you build 100 schools, you’ll be on the right track.” He admits that Yemenis know their country in ways that would take foreigners a lifetime to determine. Consequently, the U.S. will receive protection only when tribe says, “there will be no Al-Qaeda.” Friedman identifies this as the best form of security.
In response, freelance journalist Mohammed Al-Asaadi brought to attention that the majority of Yemeni citizens reside in rural areas. He explained that the government can’t reach the population and the population can’t make demands, resulting in gaps within the country that force it to operate on an ad hoc basis.
Before departing, Rahma Hugaira (President of Media Women Forum) gave thanks and appreciation to Friedman for his visit, which emphasized his support for free media and women’s rights in Yemen.
Media Women Forum is a non-governmental organization conducting initiatives for Yemeni media professionals (with an emphasis on women) to introduce objective journalism and enhance the media’s role in promoting issues surrounding human rights, democracy and development.
Yemen Is In the Making, Not In The Failing:
Thomas Friedman Visits Media Women Forum
“Yemen is in the making, not in the failing.” This was the message given to Thomas Friedman by ten leaders in Yemeni media at the conclusion of the discussion that took place Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at Media Women Forum in Sana’a. The meeting marked Friedman first visit to Yemen and addressed issues regarding Yemen’s political situation, development, United States contribution and dismantlement of Al-Qaeda.
Thomas Friedman, American New York Times columnist and three times Pulitzer Prize winner, began the conversation openly, recognizing the sudden interest in Yemen by the United States as the result of Al-Qaeda’s activity. While Friedman acknowledged the complexity of the various situations in Yemen, he feels “what Yemen needs are the simple things.” Good governance and a sturdy educational system were amongst those mentioned requiring an attentive and active government.
The question from Yemeni journalists was how to initiate this process of reform. To this, Friedman responded, “You always have to look for where the leverage is with your government...find the leverage on the president that he will embrace, don’t just use one force against the other.” He continued by adding, “At the end of the day, change has to come from within.”
Freidman cited the Camp David Peace Agreements between Egypt and Israel as an example of Middle Eastern countries taking initiative in the international political sphere and cemented his point with the analogy, “In the history of the world, no one’s ever washed a rented car. People from this part of the world have long rented their cars from their country’s kings and dictators, are you ready to own the car?”
Comparing Yemen’s situation to Taiwan (another country of 23 million), Friedman continued by calling to attention the untapped human capitol in Yemen, using Taiwan’s success as an example of what Yemen could achieve.
For the United States, Friedman sees Yemen as a chance to reevaluate past approaches to terrorism. His advice for the U.S. government is, “if for every one drone you send, you build 100 schools, you’ll be on the right track.” He admits that Yemenis know their country in ways that would take foreigners a lifetime to determine. Consequently, the U.S. will receive protection only when tribe says, “there will be no Al-Qaeda.” Friedman identifies this as the best form of security.
In response, freelance journalist Mohammed Al-Asaadi brought to attention that the majority of Yemeni citizens reside in rural areas. He explained that the government can’t reach the population and the population can’t make demands, resulting in gaps within the country that force it to operate on an ad hoc basis.
Before departing, Rahma Hugaira (President of Media Women Forum) gave thanks and appreciation to Friedman for his visit, which emphasized his support for free media and women’s rights in Yemen.Media Women Forum is a non-governmental organization conducting initiatives for Yemeni media professionals (with an emphasis on women) to introduce objective journalism and enhance the media’s role in promoting issues surrounding human rights, democracy and development.
No comments:
Post a Comment