The War of Ideas, or: Werrcome to Arr-Arrabic Terrevision!

With my apologies for the highly irreverent title, let's get down to business:

China is launching its own state-controlled Arabic channel. Get the scoop from the BBC here. But why would the Chinese make such a move? The reasons vary, depending on who you ask. Chinese government-run CCTV says it's because China wants to get to know the world better, as well as let the world get to know China better.

But while there might be some validity to this statement, there's something to be said for China's recent unprecedented rush to gain true great power status through a multitude of channels. From pushing for the renminbi to replace the US dollar as the world's major reserve currency, to closing coal plants in Beijing in an effort to be more environmentally conscious, China seems to have finally woken up and smelled the green tea. Its role in world affairs, at both an economic and military level, is now undisputed, and will only increase in importance over the next quarter century. How and to what extent that role will completely manifest itself in world affairs is yet to be seen.

But back to the Chinese broadcasting in Arabic (apparently those from China who speak Arabic are actually quite good, but the thought is nonetheless amusing). Marc Lynch, associate professor at the Elliott School at George Washington University, makes an interesting observation on his Foreign Policy blog: "The rest of the members of the [United Nations] Security Council have got [a state-controlled Arabic television station] ... so why shouldn't China?"

Good point, Abu Aardvark. China seems to be practicing a form of diplomacy and statesmanship that dominated Cold War thinking: they see the Middle East as a potential sphere of influence, an unclaimed swath of land in which the Chinese have vested interests. If China wants to exercise control in the area through some medium other than sheer military might, it makes sense to set up a television station that can broadcast Chinese interests in the local language, right? Of course then, it should come as no surprise that the United States, France, Russia, Germany, the UK and Iran all already have equivalent state-run Arabic stations, designed to accomplish the same goal.

Interestingly, the last time I checked, the Middle East is (contrary to steadfast public opinion) not a monolith, composed of just one culture, one religion, one form of economic or political system, or one language. And while this last point is actually moot -- thanks to the development and acceptance of Modern Standard Arabic as the universal dialect for all media publications -- the rest stand on their own merits. Winning the hearts and minds of all the people of the Middle East will take much more than setting up a television station, regardless of what country is sponsoring said station. Such an endeavor would require, for starters, open dialogue at all levels of government and society.

If the Chinese are serious about going down the "hey-the-other-big-kids-have-Arabic-television-stations-we-want-one-too" route, they only need to look at the United States' largely failed attempt at developing and promoting its own station, al-Hurra. Al-Boo is more like it.