Dawn of a New Arab World featured speakers from Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Tunisia and will look at the changing landscape of the Arab world. In the post-Colonial era, the Arab world has been dominated by military dictatorships, which have not been accountable to their people; however, we are witnessing history—people are in the midst of changing their governments in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya and protests are forcing change in Syria, Bahrain, and other countries. Even in places like Saudi Arabia, they are starting to respond to the demands of their people by promising reforms. Is this a true paradigm shift to an open and democratic Arab World, or simply a mirage?

Moderated by:

Philippa Thomas has reported extensively for BBC News from 24 countries over the past 20 years. She has specialized in political and diplomatic coverage, and has spent seven years reporting from the White House, from the US election campaign trail, and across the Americas. Thomas is currently a Fellow at the Nieman Journalism Foundation at Harvard University, where she is on sabbatical from her BBC reporting duties. She came to Harvard to focus on the ways in which digital media platforms and citizen journalism are helping to empower communities.


Panelists:

Lina Ben Mhenni is an academic and the author of the popular blog A Tunisian Girl. Based in Tunis, she has reported from all over her country during the ongoing social upheaval. She risked her safety as one of the only Tunisians to criticize the repressive government openly on international broadcasts before the “Jasmine Revolution" began. Described as one of the bravest bloggers in the world, much of Ben Mhenni’s writing focuses on freedom of expression and the rights of women and students.


Ghazi Gheblawi is a Libyan essayist, poet, and physician. An award-winning blogger, he founded Arabic Cultural, one of the most popular Arabic language literary podcasts. Currently working as a surgeon in London, he is one of the leading cyber-activists pushing for democracy and human rights in Libya today. Gheblawi’s blog Imtidad is one of the top aggregators for breaking news on Libya.





Maryam al-Khawaja is a Bahraini human rights activist and the current head of foreign relations office for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. Al-Khawaja has been an outspoken voice during the recent protests in Bahrain, giving many insights into the violence against peaceful demonstrators at the hands of the Bahraini government. She is an active member of the Bahraini youth movement and campaigns for an end to discrimination against Shiites in Bahrain. Al-Khawaja left Bahrain to attend Brown University as a Fulbright scholar; she recently returned to Bahrain to take part in the protests following the “Jasmine Revolution" and to report on unfolding events.

Amir Ahmad Nasr is a digital media and marketing consultant, leading Sudanese blogger, and the curator of The Future of Islam In the Age of New Media, a groundbreaking and acclaimed online audio seminar featuring 60 speakers in 60 seconds each for a total of 60 insightful minutes. He is the author of the popular blog The Sudanese Thinker, which he started in 2006 to shed light on the political and social events unfolding in his country and provide a critical and nuanced analysis. His philosophical writings today focus on religion, identity and wider Arab politics, and continue to push for freedom of conscience and the protection of human rights.

Via Satellite:

Wael Ghonim One of the organizers of the Tahrir Square protests that lead to the ousting of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, Wael Ghonim joined the Oslo Freedom Forum live via satellite from Cairo. He talked about the phenomenon sweeping the Arab world as a "freedom flu." The feeling certainly is infectious, spurring thousands into the streets to protest the oppressive governments that have controlled the region for so long. Ghonim calls for a world in which values, not interests, drive the foreign policy of nations. In such a world, the West would not ignore the repression of certain governments in order to preserve strategic ties. For Ghonim, the pressing danger now for Egypt is its fragile economy; the Western world has a role to play in seeing that the country's revolution does not lead to financial collapse. The activist also tells us stories, like that of a recent encounter with a taxi driver. He recalls asking the driver, "Are you happy?" and being given a response that summarizes the very essence of the Arab Spring: "I am breathing freedom."