posted
I'm writing a paper about Saudi Arabia for my International Affairs class for a simulation we're doing -- basically, a U.N. simulation except a little less directed. It's about Global Terrorism, and I have to write my position paper as the head of state & government of Saudi Arabia.
In addition to talking about terrorism, I have to talk about foreign & domestic affairs, economic conditions, and defense policies.
My dilemma arose when I started thinking about press freedoms in Saudi Arabia -- basically, they're very limited. I"m supposed to include a discussion of the press in my paper, but to be honest I'm really not sure how to present it -- or how the Saudi Arabian government would present it in official policy statements.
This really got me to thinking. My first instinct was to pick out all the places where they do have press freedoms, and sort of exaggerate them a bit to make it *look* as though free press exists. Treat the issue, basically, like any politician looking to defend his position would. All good, no bad.
But in this case, what is good? Obviously, America values press freedoms very highly. But does Saudi Arabia? In official policy statements, would they attempt to highlight the freedom of the press, or would they tell it like it is?
We talk about how, culturally, they're different from us. We can't impose democracy upon them, it's wrong, we're interfereing.
But what if the Saudi government *does* try to play up press freedoms in the country? That indicates to me, it seems, that there is a universal value there: clearly, Saudi Arabia is aware that freedom of the press is important and should be granted, but still isn't doing it.
Or maybe the Saudis would tell it like it is: sorry, there's no freedom of the press here.
So I guess there are two aspects here. First, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I should portray this in my paper? Should I emphasize things like increased freedoms of speech and press as worthy goals? Or should I acknowledge that they're not priorities of the Saudi government?
Second, if the government *does* acknowledge freedom of press/expression as a worthy goal, does that mean that democratic values are universal? Should we be making the world safe for democracy?
Posts: 1784 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
I know this doesn't answer your question at all, but it reminded me of a few quotes from Winston Churchill.
quote: Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried.
quote: The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
quote: Everybody is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.
posted
I think part of the issue is that Saudi Arabia wants to increase its popularity with the U.S. and other Western countries. They do this by emphasizing Western values to the West and keeping everything else very close to home. I don't think we should be pressing democratic reform across the globe but we should work to make existing governments more responsive and responsible towards their citizenry.
Posts: 218 | Registered: Nov 2001
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American media is certainly not free from bias. Even some Americans argue that its media is captured by special interests. (cite Rush Limbaugh) American media outlets are controlled by corporations. (cite Bill Maher) Is that really any better than government control?
The government of Saudia Arabia believes in being truthful and honest with its people. Having corporation-controled media puppets is not necessary to achieve that end.
In a culture where women still respect their modesty, do we really need lectures from a country that can laugh about exposing a woman's breast on national TV?
[ March 04, 2004, 10:57 PM: Message edited by: Beren One Hand ]
Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Frame in a way that shows how media requires strict oversight to prevent atrocities from occuring. Cite instances such as America's "copy cat crimes" . . .
Let us know what you do - good luck!
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
Kasie, you might want to check recent back issues of The National Geographic for a story they did on life in Saudi Arabia today. It was a look at a culture we only think we understand. It might give you a really good basis for your work.
Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
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in a way that shows how media requires strict oversight to prevent atrocities from occuring. Cite instances such as America's "copy cat crimes" . . . 
