Fereed Zakaria's Global Public Square. I was stretched out on the couch this morning waiting for a pain pill to kick in when this program came on. Somewhat weary of the usual Sunday morning line up of talking heads and the question of the day about what Hillary will do next, I decided I would give this new program a look.I'm glad I did. Too much is being made about the banalities of our presidential campaign while too little is being examined as to what the world sees and expects from the new President and, as a whole, what the issues will be that will be confronting him over and above the war.
I first became familiar with India born Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, as a frequent and popular guest on, of all things, the Daily Show. He is now hosting his own Sunday morning show on CNN. Today's panel included Irshad Manji, Ugandan born and Canadian raised, author and commentator perhaps best known for her book The Trouble With Islam Today. Christian Amanpour, London born to a British mother and Iranian father, a CNN correspondent. Former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky and former Mexican Foreign Minister, Jorge Castaneda. What a great selection for the outlining and discussion of global issues! Not an American born in the group. Very savvy!
Last week the special guest was Tony Blair, today it was Henry Kissinger and upcoming will be Salman Rushdie, among others.
This will be must see TV for me as the election nears. I will watch with interest to see what foreign nationals consider the issues to be, how well the candidates grasp them and whether or not their thinking is in sync. It is a refreshing bit of programming. The timing could not be better. The panelists come from different parts of the world and hold a variety of positions; they have differing agendas and widely diverse viewpoints on some things yet not on others. It is enlightening to say the least.
Most heartening, however, is they seem to have one thing in common. They seek peace for their peoples and they expect the United States to be, once again, the major player in the process.
Let's dare to hope.
2 comments:
I couldn't agree more. It's very refreshing to see CNN take a more international approach to its United States broadcasting arm. The next step is to allow CNN International broadcast in the United States.
I just discovered Fereed Zakaria and am now telling everyone I know about him. He is intelligent, insignful, nonparison, and extremely well versed on world politics. I wish we had someone of his quality reporting on American politics exclusively. Our communtators pale in comparison. His integrety allows him to interview people others can't get to answer the phone. Thanks to CNN for having faith in the Intelligence of Americans.
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