Journalism and public diplomacy professor Philip Seib's recently published book, The Al-Jazeera Effect (Potomac Books), discusses the influence of new media on global politics, particularly in relation to the Middle East.
“Seib’s book cuts right through the new media debate, dissecting the culture of fear in the West and the culture of humiliation in the Arab world," director of the Center for Foreign Policy Analysis, Paul Moorcraft said. "This is an important, even vital, book in understanding the cyber-Jihad since 9/11."
In his book, Seib argues, "'The media' are no longer just the media. They have a larger popular base than ever before and, as a result, have unprecedented impact on international politics. The media can be tools of conflict and instruments of peace; they can make traditional borders irrelevant and unify peoples scattered across the globe. This phenomenon, the Al Jazeera effect, is reshaping the world."
He compares the Al-Jazeera Effect to the CNN Effect of 10 years ago, the difference being that the latest effect is even more than just a visual sensation. The chapters to follow explain the Al-Jazeera effect more in-depth, examining it in relation to the internet surge, the rise of the virtual state, and global terrorism.
“This very readable book is an ideal introduction for the non-specialist to the remarkable and complex world of new communication media, from satellite broadcasting to text messaging," said William A. Rugh, author of Arab Mass Media: Newspapers, Radio, and Television in Arab Politics. "Carefully researched, it provides up-to-date information on the various media instruments and interesting analyses of their roles. A valuable contribution to the field.”
