Dubai Debates
Encyclopedia
Dubai Debates is an online video debating
forum based in Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
. According to its website, Dubai Debates offers "a platform for online opinion leaders
, pundits, academics, journalists, politicians, activists and all interested users to exchange ideas through videos." In addition to video debating via its website, regular debates are also held in Dubai, bringing together opinion leaders for panel discussions.
. According to The National newspaper
, the founders of Dubai Debates "drew inspiration from how opinions were circulated on Twitter and Facebook during the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings." Dubai Debates was conceived as a contribution to the global discourse in social media, adding a video element and putting a face to the people shaping that discourse.
A conflicting report in the New York Times states that Dubai Debates was conceived as a reaction to a Doha Debates panel on the motion "Dubai is a bad idea", held on 14 December 2009.
The first Dubai Debates panel discussion was held on 23 February 2011.
channel , as well as on its Twitter
and Facebook
feeds. At the same time, a date is announced for a panel debate on the respective issue. Interested users are then requested to submit their video contributions to the topic, which are all featured on the website and on Youtube.
The panel sessions are split into thematic segments, each representing a specific question. All debates are video-filmed and made available after the event on DubaiDebates.com and Youtube. During the panel session, selected videos uploaded by outside contributors are shown. A Twitter hashtag is defined, allowing live discussions about the panel to be incorporated into the discussion. The number of segments was six for the first two editions of Dubai Debates, each between 6-9 minutes in length.
TV anchor Mahmoud Abu Obeid, and American University of Sharjah
scholar Mohammed Ibahrine. The debate was filmed and widely viewed on the Internet since. The Goethe Institute
was one of the first supporters of the debate.
, in the main auditorium. On 28 May, three days before the debate, the event was moved to the Kempinski Hotel Dubai
and co-operation with AUD terminated without further comment.
Panelists at Dubai Debates 2 have been described as "star academics" and included:
The debate was moderated by Matt J. Duffy, a media scholar from Zayed University
.
The debate was composed of the following six segments:
Is the Arab Spring over?
Where is Egypt headed after the revolution?
Can Arab and Islamic values be reconciled with democracy?
Do Western governments even care about democracy?
A new Arab world - new alliances?
Will Arab democracy bring Arab prosperity?
Dubai Debates 2 was supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
, a think tank connected to German Chancellor Angela Merkel
's CDU
party, as well as CNN International
. There was an audience of 200 guests.
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
forum based in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. According to its website, Dubai Debates offers "a platform for online opinion leaders
Opinion leadership
Opinion leadership is a concept that arises out of the theory of two-step flow of communication propounded by Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz. This theory is one of several models that try to explain the diffusion of innovations, ideas, or commercial products....
, pundits, academics, journalists, politicians, activists and all interested users to exchange ideas through videos." In addition to video debating via its website, regular debates are also held in Dubai, bringing together opinion leaders for panel discussions.
History
The series was launched in early February 2011, in the midst of the Egyptian revolution2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...
. According to The National newspaper
The National (Abu Dhabi)
The National is a government-owned English-language daily newspaper published in Abu Dhabi. The editor-in-chief since June 8, 2009 has been Hassan Fattah. Prior to this, and from the launch of the newspaper Martin Newland was editor-in-chief. Mubadala Development Company, an investment company...
, the founders of Dubai Debates "drew inspiration from how opinions were circulated on Twitter and Facebook during the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings." Dubai Debates was conceived as a contribution to the global discourse in social media, adding a video element and putting a face to the people shaping that discourse.
A conflicting report in the New York Times states that Dubai Debates was conceived as a reaction to a Doha Debates panel on the motion "Dubai is a bad idea", held on 14 December 2009.
The first Dubai Debates panel discussion was held on 23 February 2011.
Format
A current debate topic is defined and announced through the Dubai Debates website, its YoutubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel , as well as on its Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
feeds. At the same time, a date is announced for a panel debate on the respective issue. Interested users are then requested to submit their video contributions to the topic, which are all featured on the website and on Youtube.
The panel sessions are split into thematic segments, each representing a specific question. All debates are video-filmed and made available after the event on DubaiDebates.com and Youtube. During the panel session, selected videos uploaded by outside contributors are shown. A Twitter hashtag is defined, allowing live discussions about the panel to be incorporated into the discussion. The number of segments was six for the first two editions of Dubai Debates, each between 6-9 minutes in length.
Mark Zuckerberg - the new hero of the Arab people? (Dubai Debates 1)
The inaugural Dubai Debates topic was "Mark Zuckerberg - the New Hero of the Arab People?". A panel session on the topic was held on 23 February at the Media One Hotel in Dubai. Participants included Mahmoud Salem, the award-winning Egyptian blogger widely known as Sandmonkey, as well as Daniel Gerlach of Zenith Magazine, Al ArabiyaAl Arabiya
Al Arabiya is a Pan-Arabist Saudi-owned Arabic-language television news channel. Launched on March 3, 2003, the channel is based in Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates, and is majority-owned by the Saudi broadcaster Middle East Broadcasting Center ....
TV anchor Mahmoud Abu Obeid, and American University of Sharjah
American University of Sharjah
American University of Sharjah is an independent, not-for-profit coeducational higher educational institution in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, founded in 1997 by Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah...
scholar Mohammed Ibahrine. The debate was filmed and widely viewed on the Internet since. The Goethe Institute
Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is a non-profit German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The Goethe-Institut also fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German...
was one of the first supporters of the debate.
After the Arab Awakening: Opportunities and Challenges for a New Arab World (Dubai Debates 2)
The second Dubai Debates topic was announced through Twitter on 12 May 2011 as "After the Arab Awakening: Opportunities and Challenges for a New Arab World". A panel debate on 31 May was initially planned to be held in co-operation with the American University in Dubai (AUD)American University in Dubai
The American University in Dubai is a private, non-sectarian institution of higher learning in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, founded in 1995. AUD was founded in 1995 as a branch campus of the American InterContinental University in Atlanta, Georgia, but turned into a private, non-sectarian...
, in the main auditorium. On 28 May, three days before the debate, the event was moved to the Kempinski Hotel Dubai
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates is a five star hotel attached to UAE's first indoor ski slope and one of the biggest shopping mall outside of North America....
and co-operation with AUD terminated without further comment.
Panelists at Dubai Debates 2 have been described as "star academics" and included:
- Dalia MogahedDalia MogahedDalia Mogahed is an American Muslim scholar of Egyptian origin. She is the Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, a non-partisan research center that provides data and analysis to reflect the views of Muslims all over the world. She was selected as an advisor by U.S...
, Director of the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center and an adviser to US President Obama
- Shadi Hamid, research director of the Brookings Doha CenterBrookings Doha CenterBrookings Doha Center is a project of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy within the Brookings Institution, started in 2007. In its own words, it conducts "research on the socio-economic and geopolitical issues facing Muslim-majority states and communities, and encourages increased dialogue...
- Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of Al Quds Al Arabi and one of only five journalists who interviewed Osama bin Laden
- Tarik YousefTarik YousefDr. Tarik Yousef el-Magariaf was an Associate Professor of Economics in the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at the , at Georgetown University. He is the son of Mohamed Yousef el-Magariaf, Libya's former ambassador to India and the Secretary General of the 1980s group, the National Front for...
, the Dean of the Dubai School of GovernmentDubai School of GovernmentThe Dubai School of Government is a research and teaching institution in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which focuses on public policy in the Arab world. The School was established in 2005 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United...
.
The debate was moderated by Matt J. Duffy, a media scholar from Zayed University
Zayed University
Zayed University , established in 1998, is the newest of the three government sponsored higher educational institutions in the United Arab Emirates. The other two institutions are the Higher Colleges of Technology established in 1988 and the United Arab Emirates University established in 1976...
.
The debate was composed of the following six segments:
Is the Arab Spring over?
Where is Egypt headed after the revolution?
Can Arab and Islamic values be reconciled with democracy?
Do Western governments even care about democracy?
A new Arab world - new alliances?
Will Arab democracy bring Arab prosperity?
Dubai Debates 2 was supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a German political party foundation associated with the centre-right Christian Democratic Union . The foundation's headquarters are located in Saint Augustine and Berlin. Globally, the KAS has 78 offices and runs programs in over 100 countries...
, a think tank connected to German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
's CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
party, as well as CNN International
CNN International
CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
. There was an audience of 200 guests.
Future debates
No further debate topics have been announced to date. On 12 June 2011, Dubai-based daily Khaleej Times reported "the next edition of the Dubai Debates is already in its planning stages, with the topic of women's rights possibly on the table."External links
- - The National, 2 June 2011 'Dubai Debates: the word is out there'
- - Khaleej Times, 12 June 2011 'Talking things over to be heard and seen'
- - Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, 2 June 2011 'Success of Dubai Debates Surpasses Expectations'
- - Al Arabiya English, 2 June 2011 'Arab Spring, Summer or Winter?'
- - Dubai Eye 103.8, 3 June 2011, Evening News