httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s_HHvnecO4
Last Thursday I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel regarding the role of cultural diplomacy in bridging U.S./Muslim relations. The theme for the evening was “In The Age of Global Civilization There Is No Us or Them” and the special guest was Farah Pandith, President Obama’s Special Envoy to Muslim Communities under Secretary Clinton. Alesa Weston, Associate Director of the Sundance Institute was the third speaker and and we each gave our point of view about how to use government, new media and independent film to improve understanding and relationships between the U.S. and Muslim world.
Here is a video of my section and I’ll post those from Farah and Alesa once I get the footage. A huge thanks to Jordan Elgrably from the Levantine Cultural Center for making this evening possible. The work of peace and security could not be more important. Below are some of the key points I shared and you can follow the important work that Farah is doing on twitter at @farah_pandith
1. THE REALITY OF OUR INTER-DEPENDENCE
Global Crises
Global Consciousness
2. THE POWER OF CONNECTION
Past Disconnection
New Re-connection
Re-awakening Empathy
Leveraging Emotion
3. CONVERGING TECHNOLOGY
Smart phones
Mobile applications
4. THE U.S. & MUSLIM WORLD
The Danger of Cultural Imperialism
G/local Focus
Regional Technology
Arabization
New Partnerships
5: WHERE TO START
Values
Connection
Look out for Part 2 of the presentation next week and please fire away with any questions or comments.