Communicating with the World of Islam, Edited by A. Ross Johnson, Principal Report by George P. Shultz

Stanford—How can the United States more effectively counter terrorism, promote democracy, and improve its image in predominantly Islamic countries and communities? In Communicating with the World of Islam (Hoover Press, 2008), a new publication edited by Hoover research fellow A. Ross Johnson, that features a report by former secretary of state and Hoover distinguished fellow George P. Shultz, the ways in which the United States might approach these efforts are addressed.

The publication was inspired by discussions at a seminar, “Communicating with the Islamic World,” sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands in 2005. Shultz chaired the seminar, which brought together former officials responsible for public diplomacy and experts on the region.

In his report, Shultz provides an account of the discussions in three sections. The first section summarizes the lessons learned from the broadcasting experiences of Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe, the BBC, and the Voice of America during the cold war. The second section outlines current broadcasting efforts into the world of Islam and, in particular, countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Egypt, and the Muslim communities of Europe. The third section addresses the best ways of organizing U.S. efforts to communicate with the world of Islam.

Other contributors include Fouad Ajami, director of Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins University; A. Ross Johnson, Hoover research fellow and former director of Radio Free Europe; Abbas Milani, Hoover research fellow and director of the Hoover Institution’s Iran Democracy Project; Greg Mitrovich, conference rapporteur; and R. Eugene Parta, research associate, Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University and former director of audience research and program evaluation, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Communicating with the World of Islam is a project of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands in partnership with the Hoover Institution.

Communicating with the World of Islam
Edited by A. Ross Johnson, Principal Report by George P. Shultz

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