Mission Al-Jazeera: Build a Bridge, Seek the Truth, Change the World (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Sean Elder (Contributor) "In Arabic the word jihad means struggle, or holy war..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Middle East, Marine Corps (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Rushing, a Texas native and former Marine, is a correspondent for Al Jazeera International, and he is based in Washington, D.C. His purpose here is twofold. He not only wants to dispel many of the myths and prejudices accepted by Americans about the Arab world but also hopes to persuade Americans that they can more effectively convey positive aspects of American culture and American government policies by interacting with molders of Arab opinion such as Al Jazeera. He spent 14 years as a Marine Corps media liaison officer, and he relays the now-familiar biases and misconceptions of Americans about Arabs. What is more interesting and informative are his descriptions of how the Arab world perceives American actions. Although he acknowledges that these perceptions are often distorted, Rushing asserts that American officials aggravate the problem by refusing to engage with Al Jazeera. Unfortunately, Rushing discounts one of the reasons for that refusal, which is Al Jazeera's highly charged, biased reporting. Still, this work is a useful, informative effort to offer a different perspective on the cultural divide between Americans and Arabs. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

From gyrene to jihadi journalist - it's not the usual American career trajectory.Those who have seen the remarkable documentary Control Room will recall debut author Rushing as the Marine public-affairs officer doubtfully interpreting the American invasion of Iraq for a doubtful press corps. Located behind the lines in Qatar, Rushing found some of the most interesting and confounding questions coming from the journalists of Al Jazeera, the Arabic-language news network headquartered there. "Al Jazeera was a hostile network, and its portrayal of the U.S.'s actions frustrated my superiors," he recalls. Against that official line, he advanced the argument that progressive Arab journalists might be able to explain the U.S. version of things to the Arab world; for so doing, he was all but accused of treason. Thoroughly disillusioned by events in Iraq, Rushing was put back on his soft beat working as a liaison with Hollywood. But there he got himself in still further trouble by making public comments about Control Room that took him "outside his lane," as the Marines say. His bosses accused him of vying for 15 minutes of fame. He left the Corps and was preparing to take a job in PR in Texas when the programming director of the new Al Jazeera English station, headquartered in D.C., called to offer him a job - whereupon, well, his difficulties truly begin, not least with the FBI. Rushing and as-told-to partner Elder turn in an earnest but often plodding narrative, but this story tells itself: Rushing is still trying to explain America to the Arab world and vice versa, and his vignettes clearly reveal what a tough job that is.A long list of people won't like this book, from George Bush to Gary Busey. Gary Busey? Yes - and that's just one instance of culture clash. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403979057
• ISBN-13: 978-1403979056
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #305,742 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An American Hero, June 17, 2007

By	John Nordin (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I admit that I admire Rushing. From his first appearance in the movie Control Room through the last page of this book he is unfailingly calm, reasonable and even handed; not something we have a surplus of these days. His personal journey is compelling, but his mission: to break down barriers of misunderstanding between Americans and the world confident that most people everywhere want to live in peace is one I strongly believe in.

The book mirrors this. He recounts his personal story, his upbringing, his career in the Marines, his frustration with the political appointees who shaped relations with the media during the early days of the Iraq war and his transition out of the Marines due to their distaste with his appearance in Control Room. By the way, he explains that almost all of the film of him in that movie comes from one interview, and doesn't really reflect an arc of growth over a period of time.

My only frustration with the book is that because he so calm, that he doesn't provide many of the juicy details I was hoping for. Some are there, and my favorites are the stories of the arch-conservative spokespeople who orate against the evil of Al Jazera and then accept money from it for interviews. But even then he can't bring himself to indulge in inflated rhetoric and violent denunciations. Probably a good thing.

Most of the book is given to him arguing his case for increased and open interaction with the Arab world and the key role that interacting with Al Jazera could play in that. He points out that, by one survey, Al Jazera is the number one media brand in the world. He defends the network against some common distortions (it has never, not once, shown a beheading, for example) and reminds readers that Al Jazera has been thrown out of most of the Arab world for its honest reporting.

One of the interesting ironies is that Israel is more open about interacting with Al Jazera than is American media. Israeli government spokespeople appear on the network regularly; American's refuse.

Rushing's vision of the world is hopeful and compelling. His tag line on the book is reflected on every page: "Build a bridge, seek the truth, change the world."

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eyes: Opened. Mind: Opened. World: Enlarged., June 30, 2007

By	Lawrence Slobodzian (Merriam, KS United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thank you, Josh. You've made my world a little larger, and my understanding of it has grown as well.

As a Marine, I would never have read this book had it not been for Josh Rushing's Marine Corps service. Had he been Army or otherwise, I probably would have dismissed his story, and that would have been my loss.

Mission Al Jazeera provided information on several ideas I think we should consider further:

-How the American and Arabic cultures have clashed unnecessarily.
-How we can find points to agree on.
-How to open up a dialogue on points where we disagree..
-How the U.S. manages (or mismanages) the publicity war.
-How we can (and why we should) engage the Arab world through their media.
-How we could improve our own military public affairs.

Josh is still a Marine, though he is no longer paid by the Corps. This shows in his writing as he is intelligent and respectful when he is critical. It is clear that Josh disagrees with almost everything the current administration stands for, but this is not a Bush-bashing book. His points against the administration are fair, and he also has criticism for the American Left, the Arabic World, and himself.

As a Conservative and a Bush supporter, I did not find this to be leftist propaganda, mindless Bush-bashing, or even a criticism of the Iraq war itself. It is a criticism of our failure in nation-building (which is well-documented) and a criticism of individual policies for which Rushing is not only opposing, but providing solutions as well.

One example of Rushing's book that I thought was insightful: He makes the argument (in front of an audience of Generals, no less) that if you can trust young men and women to lead a patrol through a village with little supervision from superiors, you should be able to train and trust at least one of those squad members to be an on-the-spot spokesperson to speak to the media and provide relevant details. This is currently forbidden, and it prevents the media from communicating the military perspective on a situation, while the victims and enemies are able to get their perspective out immmediately. Overall, Rushing argues for new communications policies due to the new, flat world we live in.

Rushing also argues that Al Jazeera English is what media should be. According to Rushing, they provide all sides of a story better than any other international news service. We all know that the American media is slanted, that they "dumb-down" the news, and they all play essentially the same stories. Maybe Al Jazeera is not the best alternative (or maybe it is,) but the fact is that they are challenging the establishment and may be the catalyst required for an American media that is overdue for a change.

I read the book over a few evenings. The book is well-paced and short enough to get to the point, provide enough information, and not drag on.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I will nominate Rushing for Nobel peace prize!, June 15, 2007

By	Sivakumar Nadarajah "Author of America Misund... - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ever since we started hearing about Al- Jazeera and the rest of Arab media, it's natural that we thought they were propaganda machines. To be fair, to some extent, they are. What most of us failed to understand was that those media channels gave us an opening to a world that we never saw or understood.

What Mr.Rushing has done is truly amazing. He has walked into a sensitive zone that many would consider un-American. But what he is trying to accomplish will sure help bridge the humongous chasm that exists between two civilizations that should thrive together if they mutually understood each others concerns.

What is truly amazing for someone like me who came from a country ( Sri Lanka) where human rights and press freedom are pretty much dead is the overwhelming endorsement that Rushing is getting from the public. When a Sri Lankan journalist called Sivaram tried to do the same, he was labeled a `traitor' by the Sri Lankan government and was killed by the paramilitaries in front of the Sri Lankan parliament.

Rushing is amazing and above all American press freedom is amazing.

"Mission Al Jazeera" is a book that should be read by every peace loving person on the earth.

Mr. Rushing deserves a Nobel Peace Prize!!!

N.Sivakumar

Author of
America Misunderstood: What a Second Bush Victory Meant to the Rest of the World