MEDIA: Wallace vs. Ahmadinejad

It's been a long time since I last posted - another weak start to my nth attempt at a blogging career. Still, so much has gone on over the past few months that I wanted to take stock of my own thoughts (nobody reads this blog anyway!).

This time, I'll try a different blogging approach. Rather than lengthy essay style posts, I'll try to post more frequently, but publish just short, bite-sized chunks so I can keep track of my own mind.


A lot has happened since my last post, including:

• Iraq's steady descent into a worsening civil war, and the U.S. intelligentsia coming to terms with the magnitude of the policy failures and disaster on the ground in Iraq.
• Increasing tension between India and Pakistan since the Mumbai bombings.
• A recent, major terrorist plot unfoiled in Pakistan and the UK, with another disturbing sign of home grown terrorism in the UK.
• A growing appreciation of the worsening Sunni-Shia divide in the Muslim world, and concerns about a Shia revival centred around Iran as the new regional superpower.
  
• Growing discussion and chest-thumping in the U.S. vis-a-vis Iran, with an increasing sense that America might have to once again reach for its trusty hammer to impose its will on the Middle East.
  
• As I predicted in March (see previous posts), in May TIME magazine named our friend Wafa Sultan as one of the 100 most influential people in the entire WORLD, further elevating her status in the West. The height of silliness, but not a surprise.
  
• And last but not least, another Arab-Israeli war ending in military stalemate and causing considerable death and destruction, 90% of which in Lebanon.
  

Not bad for a few months worth of news, and certainly a lot for me to chomp on over the coming weeks and months. Today, I just want to focus on a small topic which got me quite animated: Mike Wallace's interview of President Ahmadinejad of Iran (broken into parts and viewable on YouTube).

I watched Wallace's entire interview on 60 minutes just by coincidence. I was absolutely STUNNED by Wallace's condescending, arrogant, and insanely disrespectful behavior toward Ahmadinejad, and by extension toward all Iranian people. Beyond just common sense, was this guy aware that he was a guest in Iran? Some of the more memorable snippets from the interview:

• Wallace told the President, "Cmon, C'mon, you're perfectly able to handle this question"
• Wallace demanded that the President answer a question with a "yes" or "no" answer, unsatisfied with the President's responses
• Wallace asked the President about the contents of a note that was passed to him by his aide, totally disrespecting the President's privilege of confidential communication with his staff (the note could have been about anything - an earthquake, a national emergency, another appointment, a dispatch, whatever, but it was NONE of Wallace's business)
• and on and on - watch for yourselves.

I was amazed by the exchange on many levels. First, that I have never seen any Western journalist, let alone an American one, interview his own leaders with this confrontational, condescending, and disrespectful style. Bush and company get the kid gloves treatment from US reporters. Second, Wallace's choice of interview style. There are many ways to conduct tough interviews, but they can be conducted firmly and respectfully. BBC journalists Tim Sebastian and Jeremy Paxton generally follow this firm-but-polite template, occasionally really giving elected British leaders a hard time. Christiane Amanpour once interviewed President Khatami and had a very civilized, rich exchange with him that asked tough questions at times, but was always professional and courteous. Third, the total lack of appropriateness. Regardless of Ahmadinejad's views and policies, Wallace disrespected not just the man, but the office he holds, his country, and his people. As a non-Iranian, I even felt offended.

Let's imagine for a moment that an Iranian or Arab journalist had the opportunity for an extensive 1:1 interview with President Bush. Not satisfied with his answers (say, on Iraq, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, Lebanon, democratization and the like), he said, "C'mon, c'mon, you can answer this" or "just give me a yes or no answer" or "hey, what was that note about that your staffer just handed you?" Such an interview would be totally unthinkable, and Americans would be right to feel outraged and totally insulted by the foreign journalist's approach. Fox News and their pundits would go nuts. But of course, when it comes to an American taking such an approach with a foreign head of government, it's totally acceptable. It didn't even raise any eyebrows in the West. Even Colbert and Stewart (to my chagrin) fell silent.

The reason this little exchange is important is two-fold. First, it shows that Americans like Wallace are totally insensitive and clueless in their dialogue with the Middle East. The message is: "we don't like you (you're "Evil," after all), and we don't even have to accord you the minimum respect your office or place in the world would suggest." More importantly, the exchange confirms the pattern which Muslims already view Western policy and leaders as it pertains to their part of the world. Any Muslim watching that interview, let alone an Iranian, comes away with the following conclusions: "Americans don't respect us, our culture, or our history (in Iran's case, over 5,000 years of history). They don't even treat our leaders with any kind of respect, certainly they don't care about our people on the street being blown up in Baghdad or Beirut. They talk down to us, and dictate how we should behave. They put us on the defensive, and demand our compliance to their world view, policy agenda, and interests. On this basis, how can we have a dialogue of civilizations, or trust Western intentions in our part of the world?"

What kind of reconciliation or understanding is possible, when the Mike Wallaces of the world stomp around foreign countries reinforcing every Muslim stereotype of the arrogant, culturally insensitive, and condescending American know-it-all? At a time when East-West relations are at an all-time low, we can thank Mike Wallace for furthering the cause of mutual distrust and animosity. Just the public diplomacy America needs in the Middle East. Good job, Mr. Wallace.