Public Diplomacy and the Middle East [antikvár]

Foreword In time of war, the first casualty is truth. But in the uncertain terrain between peace and war which has prevailed since September 11th 2001, our capacity to conduct a rational international dialogue between differing cultures is in danger of coming close second. It is paradoxical that in an era of mass travel, increased cultural crosscurrents and instant news, when internet technology enables us to share information and knowledge across continents within split seconds, we run the risk not of understanding each other better, but of shding into mutual incomprehension. Yet the Middle East and the West have never inhabited separate universes. We have been forming perceptions (and misperceptions) of each other since Homer and Aeschylus. Our histories have left us with legacies of wars, imperial occupation and plunder of resources. But there is also a richer heritage of learning from each other through scientific endeavour, cultural creativity and educational exchange. It is no co-incidence that when, in English, we use the verb "to orient", we mean not only to face east, but also to "adjust, correct, or bring into defined relations, to known facts or principles". Today as increasingly vitrioUc exchanges take place between politicians, academics and columnists, as fundamentalists of more than one hue ferment religious hatred, and as fear of terrorism and war stalk the ether, we may feel we are all in danger of losing our bearings. That is why it is increasingly important to foster improved understanding between our societies as much as amongst our govemments. The Foreign Policy Centre's report provides us with a route map to help us address the challenges in this complex relationship. Public Diplomacy and the Middle East