Media and Politics in the Middle East

The Minister based his address on the following points

• First: Al Jazeera – a global media leader, a preferred channel for those who wish to keep up-to-date, especially on the Middle East and North Africa. An inspiration for policymakers. Meeting of cultures.
• Just a few reflexions:
• What does it mean to “be global”, that “the society is global”? We “live local(ly)”, don’t we? And all politics is local – or? Has the global society brought us closer together? Or farther away? Do we have stronger sense of “togetherness”, or a stronger sense of “at-the-same-time-ness”? Near or far away? Closer or more distance?
• Big global currents today: Global economy, global technology trends, the global media world. Perhaps the gap between generations now are bigger than before, i.e. between me an my children, compared to me and my parents or my grandparents, when it comes to the media technology development?
• This week a minister from Myanmar’s government is visiting Oslo, his first visit abroad. Norway is engaged in peace and reconciliation projects in the country, supporting processes, based on our experience elsewhere. Now, why this change in Myanmar? The global economy, the pressure to open up their economy. A different story than the changes, the awakenings, in the Arab world, where these processes have been more “bottom-up”.
• New media and media technology open up for broader public participation and “bottom-up movements”, prerequisites for democracy. This is new media’s greatest asset, in my view: Giving a voice to people who previously had no saying in the public sphere. Social networks provide unique opportunities to mobilize, share opinions, to participate and to illuminate injustice – and they are very difficult for authoritarian regimes to censor and control. We (the public) are given a broader coverage – based on new angles, new sources, new voices.
• New technology, particularly cheap mobile phones, are easily accessible across the world. (Example: A report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows Saudi Arabia has the largest number of mobile phone users worldwide, with 180 mobile phones for every 100 residents. But Saudi Arabia is not a democratic society ...).
• People rise up against authoritarian, corrupt rulers. They need means to do it: The media channels. The access to media – crucial factor.
• The media brings us daily reports from Syria.
• However: The media can tear down powers and rulers, but can the media build power, solidity, solidarity?
• All stories in the Middle East and North Africa are different – but one common thing: The regimes fall/will fall. And new regimes must build on trust, legitimacy, new institutions, contitutions, majority/minority, respect for universal human rights. Social capital.
• With its transformation of perspective and critical voice, Al Jazeera has made remarkable contributions to global media diversity and critical journalism. (I do not believe there is such a thing as neutral coverage. A story always has a certain angle. History is always someone’s history). Al Jazeera has a motto: “The opinion and the other opinion”. It is important that we are open to all sides of a story.
• Another dimension is the way social media plays a role in the creation of young people’s identities. Through the internet and social media young people everywhere can compare their own lives with others’ across the world. They experience freedom and openness through the internet. In this way information technologies directly challenge authoritarian political order and regimes.

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