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Four Years Later: U.S. and Iraqi Students Re-Engage in Live Videoconference Discussion

AAI
Posted on Tuesday May 8, 2007

James Zogby Hosts Unique Global Exchange between Davidson College and Baghdad University as Part of Clinton Global Initiative

WHAT: American and Iraqi students re-engage in videoconference discussion on U.S.-Iraq relations

WHO: Moderated by James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute and host of “Viewpoint”

Hundreds of students from Davidson College and Baghdad University

WHEN: Thurs., May 10; 8:30 – 10 a.m. EDT; Airdate: Fri., May 18; 5 – 6 p.m. EDT

WHERE: Davidson College in Davidson, N.C.; Smith 900 Room of the Alvarez Union

Brian William’s report on NBC Nightly News, May 10, 2007

WASHINGTON – May 8, 2007 – Students from Davidson College in North Carolina and Baghdad University will re-engage in discussion about the relationship between their nations via a live videoconference on Thurs., May 10. The 90 minute conversation, which reunites the two schools once again for a post-war discussion about Iraq, will take place almost four years to the day from their last videoconference on March 8, 2003.

The exchange between Iraqi and American students is part of Abu Dhabi Television’s (ADTV) commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative, which seeks to link communities from across the globe to implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. It will be moderated by Dr. James Zogby, president and founder of the Washington-based Arab American Institute, and host of ADTV show “Viewpoint.” The show is carried in the U.S. on LinkTV.

Zogby will probe Iraqi and American students to find out whether they feel the situation has improved from four years ago, what their main concerns are, what they’d like for the U.S. to do regarding Iraq, and what, if any, personal toll the conflict has imposed on their lives.

The videoconference will be taped from 8:30 – 10 a.m. EDT in the Smith 900 Room of the Alvarez College Union. An hour-long edited version of the exchange will air in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, and North America on Fri., May 18 at 5 p.m. EDT on ADTV and LinkTV.

“Four years later, we’re once again bringing Iraqi and American students together for a frank, genuine discussion about the human impact of the Iraq war,” Zogby said. “During our last conversation, Iraqi students said they felt oppressed by the invasion, while American students felt both leery of the war and optimistic that the U.S. presence would improve the lives of Iraqis. It will be interesting to see whether the events of the past four years have cemented or changed those views on both sides.”

During the previous exchange, Iraqi students criticized America for its involvement in Iraq’s internal affairs; 80 percent of students said the war was occupation, rather than liberation. Security and lack of water and power was a strong concern for the Iraqis.

Davidson is inviting some of the same students who took part in the 2003 pre-war and post-war exchanges to be involved in the Thursday videoconference. Because of the instability of the region, it is not likely that Baghdad University students from the previous discussions will return.

For the past three decades, Zogby has been involved in a full range of Arab American issues. In addition to founding the AAI in 1985, he co-founded and served as the executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Considered to be one of the nation’s leading experts on opinion in the Arab world, he was recently called to testify Congress on Middle East opinion of the U.S.

To watch the initial Davidson-Baghdad exchange, go to: http://www.aaiusa.org/baghdad. To read Davidson College’s summary of the first exchange, please click here.