huridocs-tech Computer-Mediated Communication and Peace

Edited/Distributed by HURINet - The Human Rights Information Network
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## author     : meba@nets.com.jo
## date       : 06.06.99
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Peacemaking through Computer-Mediated Communication by Riad
al Khouri

Intellectuals are literally and otherwise the poor persons
of most of the MENA region. Both government and private
business pay lip service to them, but on the whole the
academics and other intellectuals of the Arab world and some
neighboring areas are marginalized and isolated from the
mainstream of decision-making. In many cases, these people
are looked at as those who didn't make it in the real worlds
of business or politics, and so ended up as mere writers,
teachers, etc. Unfortunately, these and related occupations
in most of the region are rarely taken seriously by corrupt
oligarchies. Instead, the powers that be have helped to
create a group of "state" intellectuals who cannot think,
write or otherwise act independently. Just as bad is the
brain drain towards the West of our more talented minds, and
the isolation and marginalization of those left behind.

This is - to put it mildly - a tremendous waste of
resources, depleting our stock of human capital and putting
what's left of it to the wrong use. However, a small piece
of good news for the region's academics and other
intellectuals may be the birth of the Middle East Virtual
Community (MEViC). While not providing a solution to the
problems of intellectuals in MENA, MEViC may nevertheless
give them something of a break. Formally launched a few
months ago, MEViC is a grouping of regional academics and
other intellectuals whose goal is to open, promote and
sustain intra-regional channels of communication and
co-operation through higher tech tools, including
Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC).

The background against which the idea of MEViC started was
the state of high tension prevailing in the region in
general and between the Arab world and Israel in particular
during the late 1990s. Should this now ease in the aftermath
of Israel's general elections, there could be an opportunity
for MEViC to move forward rapidly in the honeymoon period of
the new Israeli government. The Arab-Israeli conflict will
not be miraculously resolved with the advent of a Barak-led
cabinet in Israel, but there is no doubt that a new momentum
towards peace has started to build up. In such an
atmosphere, projects such as MEViC will have a greater
chance to play a part in the more positive political climate
that will be emerging.

However, the struggle between Israel and the Arab world is
just one of many sources of tension in the region. The
Middle East's rich history, unique geopolitical position,
vast untapped resources, and wealth of languages, cultures,
sects and religions, and ethnicities is both the region's
blessing and curse. With so much variety and potential,
conflict abounds, most of it predating the 20th Century and
the rise of Zionism. Unfortunately, long after the
Arab-Israeli conflict is behind , other clashes of many
different sorts will keep the region tense well into the
next century. A key focus of MEViC is to bring Arabs and
Israelis together through CMC, but this is not the only
goal. Members of many other regional groups who cannot or
will not speak to each other face to face may be brought
closer through MEViC.

Stemming from post-graduate research on political and social
aspects of the Internet, the MEViC concept first developed
in 1997-8 when the intractability of the Arab-Israeli
conflict seemed at its peak. MEViC's plans include
organizing virtual conferences periodically on the Internet.
The first is scheduled for July 2000. Its title is "People
across Borders in the Middle East," with a variety of
social, economic, technological, legal, and educational
topics to be discussed under this heading.

MEViC will thus allow academics and other intellectuals who,
for a variety of political and logistical reasons, have not
physically met physically, to instead communicate through a
virtual conference. In this way, CMC helps to overcome
political restrictions, stereotyping, and the existence of
preconceived notions, giving MEViC members the rare
opportunity to discuss matters of shared common interest
from the comfort and safety of their own homes and offices.
The conference itself and the publicity it will generate
will provide academics and other intellectuals with the
opportunity to expand their circle and locate others who
share their same interests. By promoting contacts and
discussion, MEViC will be paving the way for future
conferences with even greater participation, helping to
empower intellectuals. MEViC may also contribute to the
advancement of peace as academics and other intellectuals
across the region have the opportunity to communicate with
those from whom they are separated by political and
logistical boundaries, thereby opening lines of
communication previously unavailable. MEViC will be a safe
and convenient forum for achieving consensus on issues that
concern the entire region, and a method to locate other
researchers sharing the same interests and with whom joint
regional projects may be pursued.

On the whole, MEViC should provide a golden opportunity to
profit from the new CMC age dawning in the Middle East. By
helping to overcome the barriers to communicating with and
better understanding neighbors, MEViC could be a formidable
force for positive change. Without such change, the region
may instead be doomed to more of the ignorance and despair
that have sadly marked the past century. However, if people
can - with the help of projects like MEViC - move towards an
enlightened and internally integrated Middle East where
intellectuals are taken more seriously, we could be looking
at a brighter future.


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