The Peace-Making role of media
Dr. Adalat Khan
July 25, 2007
MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY!
Presented by:
DR ADALAT KHAN
President,
Mina Management Institute,
119, Jalan Kampar, 30250, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
E-mail: dradalat@gmail.com ; mina@streamyx.com
Dr. Adalat Khan is the president of Mina Management Institute who specializes in Conflict Resolution and Management strategies. His academic qualification includes Doctorate in Business Administration, Master of Business Administration and various post-graduate diplomas. Born in the NWFP province of Pakistan, Dr. Khan is currently permanently residing in Malaysia. He calls himself a journalist by passion as during the past two decades he has been involved with media and journalism. A keen poet of Pashto language who has also written various fictions and short stories. He had appeared in numerous radio and television programs and was associated with Pakistan Television as a compare and talk show host. A prolific writer who has written several articles publications, which are published in United Nation's publications, international magazines, WORLD EXECUTIVE DIGEST, and Management Times, and News Straits Times etc.
THE PEACE-MAKING ROLE OF MEDIA
MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY.
With the dawn of the 21st century peace did not dawn on the world rather engulfed it with the darkness of new conflicts and wars. And as promised and projected, the world in the new millennium did not become a safer place instead it is safer to say that it has become a more dangerous place mired by the deadliest and most dangerous of conflicts and consumed with warfare with no solution in sight. Today many inter-state as well as intra-state conflicts are killing thousands of persons every year, in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Sri Lanka, Palestine and many other such places. These man-made calamities destroy everything from, people, crops, infrastructures and material resources to institutions, including those concerned with health and education as well as crush the political will, hope, and trust that keep the nations and their people alive. Everyone is fearful and fearful we must be as according to Dr Helen Caldicott a nuclear expert there is now enough explosive power in the world to “overkill” every person on earth 32 times!”
Given its record of the past, looking at the present and seeing the plans for future destruction it is incumbent on every sensible person on this planet to play their due role in resolving conflicts and skirmishes and the same goes for the media. In today’s world the media plays a pivotal role in shaping our lives. This role has further intensified with the radio, television, news papers and magazines becoming a more vital part of our everyday lives. Before I focus on this let us all ask ourselves some key questions which are:
What is conflict?
What are the major sources of conflict? and
What role the media can play in resolving conflicts?
DEFINITION OF CONFLICT:
Conflict means an adversarial relationship or a disagreement between two or more persons, groups, regions or even nations emanating from different perceptions and interests. Such conflict may also be intra-personal as a result of internal disagreement within a person.”
It may be clarified that conflict in itself is not bad but it is the destructive expression of conflict which results in wars and armed confrontation which is negative and that is the domain which we need to focus on. Expressed positively conflict can lead to innovative solutions, diversity of thoughts, and peaceful coexistence.
MAJOR CAUSES OF CONFLICTS:
There are many reasons why people go to war and get involved in armed conflicts chief among them are:
RESOURCES.
This theory proposes that people fight one another and go to war because there are limited resources for which they are competing. In a book entitled “Resource Wars” Michael Klare argues that conflicts in the world today stem from competition between countries over diminishing and essential resources, such as oil and water. To a greater extent this is true as historically many wars have been fought over scarce resources such as spices, timber, gems, oil and gas, and water. It is widely believed that the war in the Middle East with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest exploration cost is predominately more a war for resources than any thing else.
RELIGION:
It is commonly believed that in the past many wars were also fought due to religious reasons. Intra religion sectarian conflicts such as between Catholics and Protestants, Sunnis and Shias etc. are also motivated by and justified by religious differences. These conflicts can be the legitimate forces of one state that has an established religion against those of another state with either a different religion or a different sect within the same religion. It can even be a faction motivated by religion attempting to spread its faith by violence either within the state or elsewhere. I would like to clarify that almost all religions prohibit aggression on others but even then some resort to it probably due to the distorted interpretation of any one religion. The European Wars of Religion, the Crusades, and the Reconquista are frequently cited as historical examples of religious wars.
In the American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips it is postulated that the key motivation for the US going to war in the Middle East is the US Evangelical group supported by the likes of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell who have close relations with President Bush and his family. Even in one of his speeches to the American Legion president Bush himself asserted that ;
(The war we fight today is more than a military conflict; it is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century.) President Bush
MIS- PERCEPTION:
Social scientists argue that misperception is also one of the key reasons for war and armed conflicts. It is a truism that we see others through a lens distorted by our wishes, needs, and experiences. Such misperception surely can be a base for conflict, for our actions follow our perceptions, and if we perceive others as evil and act accordingly, we will generate responses in kind. Most of the wars and conflicts have some component of misperception where the actors either misperceive others or even misperceive their own strengths and rights which result in feuds.
MENTALLY UNBALANCED LEADERS.
Interestingly some theorists believe that war occurs when mentally unbalanced people are in control of a nation. This school of thought argues leaders that sought war such as Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin were mentally abnormal. Probably taking a cue from this theory President George W. Bush calls North Korean leader Kim Jong Il ''a dangerous man'' while President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela dubs him in turn Devil and Mr. Danger.
Finally I would like to answer the most important question i.e.
What role the media can play in resolving conflicts?
Media affects every facet of our lives and indeed it can have a positive or negative bearing on world conflicts and wars. It can help in avoiding and deescalating conflicts and foster and promote peace making and efforts leading to it. There are many ways where the media can positively contribute towards conflict prevention as well as it’s resolution. Chief among them are:
DE-DEMONISING THE DEMONISED:
A very negative trend which has emerged in the western main stream media is the demonisation of Islam and the Muslims. Day in and day out in the television, films, newspapers, books and magazines Islam is portrayed as a backward and barbaric religion. Terms like Islamic Terrorists, Islamists, Muslim extremists, Islamic fundamentalists, the enemy within etc. have become the preferred vocabulary of the western media. These demonising and insulting terms used for Islam and the Muslims can only serve one purpose - the creation of the ‘otherness’ and fear psychosis. Negative Islam has become the perennial theme in the Western media. Resultantly this has created more gaps between Muslims and the West. Honestly every Muslim including I have become sick and tired of this negative portrayal and view this as a deliberate and preconceived anti-Islamic agenda. In fact it would seem that after the ‘disintegration’ of the USSR, Islam has become the new common enemy of the west. Such demonisation only serves the purpose of war mongers and as history has shown in places like the Balkans and Germany it has served as a prelude to bigger conflicts and genocides.
I believe both the western as well as the world media in general with their courage and intellectual wisdom can help correct and de-demonise the distorted image of Islam and Muslims.
CONTRIBUTION TO CONFLICT PREVENTION
Most conflicts and wars could be averted before they actually break out or reach the point of no return, which is a more critical stage for media intervention rather than when the parties are already involved in armed conflict. Media intervention focused particularly on reducing perceptions of threat and zero-sum attitudes may be necessary before a conflict becomes a full blown aggression. Additionally reporting on the disastrous consequences and forewarning of the perils of the full blown war and editorial reports on possible and innovative solutions plus the highlighting of peace dividends are some positive interventions which may be opted for.
Let us not wait to report the bombings, destruction, and live coverage of human carnage and sufferings once the wars have started. Instead forewarning of such consequences in the media may discourage the further acceleration of conflicts and may lead to peace-
building efforts among the warring parties.
FOCUSSING ON COMMON INTERESTS: -
Too often the media focuses on what divides the parties and this accelerates differences. Instead it may be more helpful to focus on the common interests which may unite the parties. This will require navigating through the conflicting areas and identifying possibilities that are not apparent from adversarial mindsets. Common interests create new possibilities such as peaceful coexistence, drawing upon the strengths of diversity and mutually beneficial interconnectedness and alternatively avert discord and dissension .
A thorough research and reporting on these common interests that may lead to peace between major conflicting and warring nations and those being in the offing has to be drawn up and seriously looked into.
SHIFT ATTENTION FROM WAR MONGERS TO PEACE MAKERS:
Peace Journalism is also about highlighting and reporting the views of people who want and support peace. I understand that interviewing some one about peace will be less sensational and newsworthy but if the media has to play its role in the peace process it should focus on and project those who oppose wars and opt for peace instead.
Recently the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel Shimon Peres was shown addressing an Arab audience on the “DOHA DEBATE” a BBC program and he was shown emphatically expressing that Israel wanted peace with Palestinians and the Arab World at large. I am sure a vast majority of people echo his sentiments and in given situations want peace and dialogue but sadly they are not given the chance to express their views. The media can play a vital role here in finding a platform for such individuals or political parties who could speak out against wars and in favour of peace resulting in more effective means towards conflict resolution, even in war torn countries!
The 21st century took off with highly negative notes – with terrorist attacks, wars and internal conflicts greeting us. Peace has been hijacked by war mongers, sensibility by the senseless, and wisdom by extremists. Wars, Terrorism, fear, hatred, sanctions on civil liberties and the disgrace of human dignity are some of the black spots characterizing our times. It is a point in time where horrific events including killing of thousands and the torture of thousands more and the resultant effects of disease, homelessness, poverty and illiteracy have surmounted ten fold, not forgetting material loss and destruction and all these have recorded an indelible mark in modern history. If things do not improve in the near future this will be remembered as one of the darkest centuries of human civilization. All of us have choices – of peace and happiness as opposed to wars ,terrorism, and the will and option to fight those who divide us and take our liberties or choose to remain indifferent. Media affects our lives very profoundly, from the presidents of the most powerful countries who start their day and breakfast by reading newspaper to housewives in the hinterlands listening to local radios – everyone gets affected by media. If media power is so pervasive it must also exert it for peace. De-demonising of the so called ‘other’, providing positive intervention in hostilities and helping opposing parties focus on common interests are just a few of the peace making roles which the media can play towards global peace. With tribute to those who have even sacrificed their lives in bringing the truth to the world, we hope there will be a more concerted and international effort on the part of the media towards the noble goals of bringing peace to the world where they have an undeniably strong influence – more than half the world believes what YOU tell them so tell them about peace!
E-mail: dradalat@gmail.com ; mina@streamyx.com
Presented by:
DR ADALAT KHAN
President,
Mina Management Institute,
119, Jalan Kampar, 30250, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
E-mail: dradalat@gmail.com ; mina@streamyx.com
Dr. Adalat Khan is the president of Mina Management Institute who specializes in Conflict Resolution and Management strategies. His academic qualification includes Doctorate in Business Administration, Master of Business Administration and various post-graduate diplomas. Born in the NWFP province of Pakistan, Dr. Khan is currently permanently residing in Malaysia. He calls himself a journalist by passion as during the past two decades he has been involved with media and journalism. A keen poet of Pashto language who has also written various fictions and short stories. He had appeared in numerous radio and television programs and was associated with Pakistan Television as a compare and talk show host. A prolific writer who has written several articles publications, which are published in United Nation's publications, international magazines, WORLD EXECUTIVE DIGEST, and Management Times, and News Straits Times etc.
THE PEACE-MAKING ROLE OF MEDIA
MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY.
With the dawn of the 21st century peace did not dawn on the world rather engulfed it with the darkness of new conflicts and wars. And as promised and projected, the world in the new millennium did not become a safer place instead it is safer to say that it has become a more dangerous place mired by the deadliest and most dangerous of conflicts and consumed with warfare with no solution in sight. Today many inter-state as well as intra-state conflicts are killing thousands of persons every year, in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Sri Lanka, Palestine and many other such places. These man-made calamities destroy everything from, people, crops, infrastructures and material resources to institutions, including those concerned with health and education as well as crush the political will, hope, and trust that keep the nations and their people alive. Everyone is fearful and fearful we must be as according to Dr Helen Caldicott a nuclear expert there is now enough explosive power in the world to “overkill” every person on earth 32 times!”
Given its record of the past, looking at the present and seeing the plans for future destruction it is incumbent on every sensible person on this planet to play their due role in resolving conflicts and skirmishes and the same goes for the media. In today’s world the media plays a pivotal role in shaping our lives. This role has further intensified with the radio, television, news papers and magazines becoming a more vital part of our everyday lives. Before I focus on this let us all ask ourselves some key questions which are:
What is conflict?
What are the major sources of conflict? and
What role the media can play in resolving conflicts?
DEFINITION OF CONFLICT:
Conflict means an adversarial relationship or a disagreement between two or more persons, groups, regions or even nations emanating from different perceptions and interests. Such conflict may also be intra-personal as a result of internal disagreement within a person.”
It may be clarified that conflict in itself is not bad but it is the destructive expression of conflict which results in wars and armed confrontation which is negative and that is the domain which we need to focus on. Expressed positively conflict can lead to innovative solutions, diversity of thoughts, and peaceful coexistence.
MAJOR CAUSES OF CONFLICTS:
There are many reasons why people go to war and get involved in armed conflicts chief among them are:
RESOURCES.
This theory proposes that people fight one another and go to war because there are limited resources for which they are competing. In a book entitled “Resource Wars” Michael Klare argues that conflicts in the world today stem from competition between countries over diminishing and essential resources, such as oil and water. To a greater extent this is true as historically many wars have been fought over scarce resources such as spices, timber, gems, oil and gas, and water. It is widely believed that the war in the Middle East with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest exploration cost is predominately more a war for resources than any thing else.
RELIGION:
It is commonly believed that in the past many wars were also fought due to religious reasons. Intra religion sectarian conflicts such as between Catholics and Protestants, Sunnis and Shias etc. are also motivated by and justified by religious differences. These conflicts can be the legitimate forces of one state that has an established religion against those of another state with either a different religion or a different sect within the same religion. It can even be a faction motivated by religion attempting to spread its faith by violence either within the state or elsewhere. I would like to clarify that almost all religions prohibit aggression on others but even then some resort to it probably due to the distorted interpretation of any one religion. The European Wars of Religion, the Crusades, and the Reconquista are frequently cited as historical examples of religious wars.
In the American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips it is postulated that the key motivation for the US going to war in the Middle East is the US Evangelical group supported by the likes of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell who have close relations with President Bush and his family. Even in one of his speeches to the American Legion president Bush himself asserted that ;
(The war we fight today is more than a military conflict; it is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century.) President Bush
MIS- PERCEPTION:
Social scientists argue that misperception is also one of the key reasons for war and armed conflicts. It is a truism that we see others through a lens distorted by our wishes, needs, and experiences. Such misperception surely can be a base for conflict, for our actions follow our perceptions, and if we perceive others as evil and act accordingly, we will generate responses in kind. Most of the wars and conflicts have some component of misperception where the actors either misperceive others or even misperceive their own strengths and rights which result in feuds.
MENTALLY UNBALANCED LEADERS.
Interestingly some theorists believe that war occurs when mentally unbalanced people are in control of a nation. This school of thought argues leaders that sought war such as Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin were mentally abnormal. Probably taking a cue from this theory President George W. Bush calls North Korean leader Kim Jong Il ''a dangerous man'' while President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela dubs him in turn Devil and Mr. Danger.
Finally I would like to answer the most important question i.e.
What role the media can play in resolving conflicts?
Media affects every facet of our lives and indeed it can have a positive or negative bearing on world conflicts and wars. It can help in avoiding and deescalating conflicts and foster and promote peace making and efforts leading to it. There are many ways where the media can positively contribute towards conflict prevention as well as it’s resolution. Chief among them are:
DE-DEMONISING THE DEMONISED:
A very negative trend which has emerged in the western main stream media is the demonisation of Islam and the Muslims. Day in and day out in the television, films, newspapers, books and magazines Islam is portrayed as a backward and barbaric religion. Terms like Islamic Terrorists, Islamists, Muslim extremists, Islamic fundamentalists, the enemy within etc. have become the preferred vocabulary of the western media. These demonising and insulting terms used for Islam and the Muslims can only serve one purpose - the creation of the ‘otherness’ and fear psychosis. Negative Islam has become the perennial theme in the Western media. Resultantly this has created more gaps between Muslims and the West. Honestly every Muslim including I have become sick and tired of this negative portrayal and view this as a deliberate and preconceived anti-Islamic agenda. In fact it would seem that after the ‘disintegration’ of the USSR, Islam has become the new common enemy of the west. Such demonisation only serves the purpose of war mongers and as history has shown in places like the Balkans and Germany it has served as a prelude to bigger conflicts and genocides.
I believe both the western as well as the world media in general with their courage and intellectual wisdom can help correct and de-demonise the distorted image of Islam and Muslims.
CONTRIBUTION TO CONFLICT PREVENTION
Most conflicts and wars could be averted before they actually break out or reach the point of no return, which is a more critical stage for media intervention rather than when the parties are already involved in armed conflict. Media intervention focused particularly on reducing perceptions of threat and zero-sum attitudes may be necessary before a conflict becomes a full blown aggression. Additionally reporting on the disastrous consequences and forewarning of the perils of the full blown war and editorial reports on possible and innovative solutions plus the highlighting of peace dividends are some positive interventions which may be opted for.
Let us not wait to report the bombings, destruction, and live coverage of human carnage and sufferings once the wars have started. Instead forewarning of such consequences in the media may discourage the further acceleration of conflicts and may lead to peace-
building efforts among the warring parties.
FOCUSSING ON COMMON INTERESTS: -
Too often the media focuses on what divides the parties and this accelerates differences. Instead it may be more helpful to focus on the common interests which may unite the parties. This will require navigating through the conflicting areas and identifying possibilities that are not apparent from adversarial mindsets. Common interests create new possibilities such as peaceful coexistence, drawing upon the strengths of diversity and mutually beneficial interconnectedness and alternatively avert discord and dissension .
A thorough research and reporting on these common interests that may lead to peace between major conflicting and warring nations and those being in the offing has to be drawn up and seriously looked into.
SHIFT ATTENTION FROM WAR MONGERS TO PEACE MAKERS:
Peace Journalism is also about highlighting and reporting the views of people who want and support peace. I understand that interviewing some one about peace will be less sensational and newsworthy but if the media has to play its role in the peace process it should focus on and project those who oppose wars and opt for peace instead.
Recently the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel Shimon Peres was shown addressing an Arab audience on the “DOHA DEBATE” a BBC program and he was shown emphatically expressing that Israel wanted peace with Palestinians and the Arab World at large. I am sure a vast majority of people echo his sentiments and in given situations want peace and dialogue but sadly they are not given the chance to express their views. The media can play a vital role here in finding a platform for such individuals or political parties who could speak out against wars and in favour of peace resulting in more effective means towards conflict resolution, even in war torn countries!
The 21st century took off with highly negative notes – with terrorist attacks, wars and internal conflicts greeting us. Peace has been hijacked by war mongers, sensibility by the senseless, and wisdom by extremists. Wars, Terrorism, fear, hatred, sanctions on civil liberties and the disgrace of human dignity are some of the black spots characterizing our times. It is a point in time where horrific events including killing of thousands and the torture of thousands more and the resultant effects of disease, homelessness, poverty and illiteracy have surmounted ten fold, not forgetting material loss and destruction and all these have recorded an indelible mark in modern history. If things do not improve in the near future this will be remembered as one of the darkest centuries of human civilization. All of us have choices – of peace and happiness as opposed to wars ,terrorism, and the will and option to fight those who divide us and take our liberties or choose to remain indifferent. Media affects our lives very profoundly, from the presidents of the most powerful countries who start their day and breakfast by reading newspaper to housewives in the hinterlands listening to local radios – everyone gets affected by media. If media power is so pervasive it must also exert it for peace. De-demonising of the so called ‘other’, providing positive intervention in hostilities and helping opposing parties focus on common interests are just a few of the peace making roles which the media can play towards global peace. With tribute to those who have even sacrificed their lives in bringing the truth to the world, we hope there will be a more concerted and international effort on the part of the media towards the noble goals of bringing peace to the world where they have an undeniably strong influence – more than half the world believes what YOU tell them so tell them about peace!
E-mail: dradalat@gmail.com ; mina@streamyx.com
Print
Email
