award of the medal of freedom as a testimony of the excellent german-american partnership. our countries stand up together for peace and freedom. history has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. it moved people to overcome their fears and openly confront dictators such as in east germany and eastern europe about 22 years ago. >> [speaking german] >> some of those courageous men and women are with me here tonight. and the medal of freedom you so kindly bestowed on me, you also bestowed on them. >> [speaking german]

>> the yearning for freedom cannot be contained by walls for long. it was this yearning that brought down the iron curtain that divided germany and europe, and indeed the world, into two blocs. america stood resolutely on the side of freedom. it is to this resolve that we germans owe the unity of our country in peace and freedom. >> [speaking german]

>> also today, the yearning for freedom may well make totalitarian regimes tremble and fall. we have followed with great interest and empathy the profound changes in north africa and in the arab world. freedom is indivisible. each and every one has the same right to freedom, be it in north africa or belarus, in myanmar or iran. >> [speaking german] >> still, the struggle for freedom is demanding far too many sacrifices, and claiming far too many victims. my thoughts are with our soldiers, our policemen, and the many, many volunteers who try to help.

i humbly bow to all those who risk their lives for the cause of freedom. >> [speaking german] >> this year marks the tenth anniversary of the horrible attacks of 9/11. over the past 10 years, we have stepped up significantly our joint fight against terror and for freedom and this in many ways. we see that living in freedom and defending freedom are two sides of one and the same coin, for the precious gift of freedom doesn't come naturally,

but has to be fought for, nurtured, and defended time and time again. >> [speaking german] >> sometimes this may seem like an endless fight against windmills. but you see, my personal experience is a quite different one. what we dare not dream of today may well become reality tomorrow. >> [speaking german] >> neither the chains of

dictatorship nor the fetters of oppression can keep down the forces of freedom for long. this is my firm conviction that shall continue to guide me. in this, the presidential medal of freedom shall serve to spur me on and to encourage me. mr. president, thank you for honoring me with this prestigious award. [applause] >> next, a discussion of the use of social media in connection to

the arab political protest. then we will continue on a forum with the latest developments appeared in a senate hearing about corruption along the west border. tomorrow on "washington journal," a reporter's roundtable on the 2012 presidential campaign with charles hurt and george zornick. karen elzey talks about president obama's training up to bring -- expansion of job- training initiatives. and kevin book discusses the future of opec. "washington journal" alive at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> ayes 72. the nomination is confirmed. >> listen to the argue before the supreme court or discussing the rehnquist court in 1994. this is one of the more the

100,000 people you can watch for free online at our c-span video library. it is washington your way. >> a discussion on the role social media has played in the arab political uprisings in the middle east and how media such as facebook and twitter can be used as political organizing tools here in the u.s. speakers include chile in your -- gillian york and dean obeidallah. this is about an hour. >> we have limited time so we would like to get the panel started. please have a seat. please have a seat, everybody. before we start, i want to get a quick show of hands. how many of you here have a twitter account that they use?

we are trying to get the hashtag going if you want to have a discussion on twitter. it is not necessary to turn off your cell phones. we encourage you to use your cellphones on this panel. how many people here have a facebook account that they use? mom, you have a facebook account. [laughter] i thought you did. i am thinking of my other mom. we have a little power point thing to come up. i don't know if it will be coming up, but it was an essential part of our discussion about social networking and media. before i get started with that, i want to introduce the speakers today. on my left is deanobeidallah. he is an arab american comedian. you may have seen him on cnn.

he is the founder of the new york arab-american comedy festival which is in its eighth season. >> if is in september. >>, out and see some good stuff. on my left here is jillian york. she is very generous. she is a prolific blogger and has an incredible twitter account and is on the cutting edge of questions of those rights of social media users and online activism around the world. so we will have to make very -- two very interesting perspectives today. we wanted to start with referencing the thing a lot of people has been talking about which is what happened with the performance last night. it has been brought up another panels. we also felt that episode had

very specific relevance to the idea of social networking. we want to remind you that an on-line newspaper, politico, is who broke the story about what happened. one was trying to tell his part of the story. we heard about it through e- mail, facebook, and twittere before the event started. adc came out to try to respond to this. this shows the power of social media to get these kind of stories out there and bring issues to the public eye that might not have been brought before. the challenge is to take this episode and build on and and figure out what we want adc to build on. we can think about how social media works and apply it to adc development's for the future.

i will give one big idea to drive home this point. we are going to share of four main ideas that have to do with social networking that we will structure our discussion around. the idea of wanted to throw at you is that in social networking, everybody is connected to everybody else with facebook and twitter. there is a leveling effect in terms of how information flows. i can become a broadcaster. in the old days, major organizations like adc were the broadcasters through mailings and phone trees and things like that. the "washington +" was the gatekeeper of information. in the new media era, we are all gatekeepers and we are all circulating information and ideas. this is a new media kind of logic and that's it is what drove us to find out about the story.

it can prevent certain ideas from getting out. i think the adc response so far has reflected an old media way of thinking. adc so far was built an area of top-down institutions where social media in a way of information communication technology is all about networks. i just wanted to present the idea that there is a major fundamental, generational thing at play. that is what is coming out in the malek jandali thing. it is our job to help abc move -- adc move in the right direction which is the way of the future. all three of us receive a lot of messages from people who were concerned about what happened, so i wanted to give the opportunity to the panelists

before get started to share their thoughts on it. also as a way to communicate the message to those people who decided not to come today. >> thank you for having me on this panel. i did see a lot of e-mails. this really is a social being media issue because it is on twitter and facebook that i learned about what happened. it really was distressing for people in our community. it is the way people are communicating with each other. from a personal point of view, i am a comedian, expression is paramount. it is something i defend absolutely. it is is all about freedom that makes people uncomfortable. you do not descend by -- dis

invite the person singing about freedom. those too uncomfortable with the idea of freedom and arab countries, that is an issue to me. at the end of the day, being here is more important than boycotting. i am here to engage and speak to our friends who did not come. let's try to change things for the better. . i know there are discussions behind the scenes. i like the idea of being here and working together with nbc in -- adc in the future. the younger generation is going to be here. they are going to follow nbc. -- adc. >> i was receiving a lot of messages. i had been outspoken about syria. there has been a lot of online repression happening in the country. i have gotten all lot of messages. they were asking me to boycott.

as a free-speech absolutist, i came to the conclusion that the answer to speech is more speech. coming here and talking about this would be a better way to address the situation, even as an outsider to the community >> -- to the community. >> it during the question and answer period, we will ask for other viewpoints, but we want to shift the focus back on social networking media and what are the attributes of it and the risks of it that are important for us to think about. we wanted to structure the conversation around four main ideas and i will be announcing those ideas in sequence, and then inviting them to share their thoughts. the first is the idea of broadcasting, which i mentioned earlier. unlike phones, letters, audiotapes, social media allows us to communicate with many other people simultaneously.

we are able to broadcast our ideas to a wider number of people at once. that is the first point i wanted you to be able to take away from this. jillian, my first question is about the arab uprising. you played close attention to that. -- you pay close attention to that. there has been a lot of talk about egypt being a facebook or to revolution. is that really the case? >> i think that attributing credit to the platform is ignoring a broader platform that it takes human power to make anything happen. it is not fair to say a facebook recorder revolution. -- or a twitter revolution. to the point of broadcasting, that is where the tools were really affected. use of people pushing information out, witnessing with video and braque and images and -- video and photographs and images and projecting that out of the country.

you also saw the triangulation with traditional media. you had al jazeera picking up social media and broadcasting back through satellite television. this was particularly important in tunisia. so you have an interesting facet to social media. maybe it is not as effective for organizing. the jury is still out on the organizing question, but in terms of broadcasting, most people i've spoken to from tunisian and elsewhere agreed that the idea of witnessing a broadcasting and getting the attention from traditional media through social media really matters. >> is a stark difference from the era of state broadcasting. before satellite television, the government had the broadcasting power within society. dean, you mentioned earlier that there was a precursor to the arab revolution, the comedy uprising, i think you call that? [laughter] >> the comedy revolution.

the, the spring. -- comedy spring. i saw it used two or three years earlier when stand-up comedy started to flow through the middle east. high was one of the first canadians to go over and do it shows. -- i was one of the first comedians to go over and do shows. there was not visual advertising for this form of entertainment. in egypt, they had almost 4000 people come out to show, and it was all most all advertised on facebook. we use facebook and where a -- facebook and twitter a great deal. it was used to organize a whole yogurt generation of arabs in the middle east, not talking about politics and reform, just the idea of getting together to talk about the economy. now the young people are communicating with each other and doing comedy.

it touched on something else. the arab spring, to me, is not geographic. it is here in america. we are eating it here to empower -- we are using it here to empower each other. the arabs bring is a different mentality now. the world is changing. it was amazing to see the young people their use its. -- there use it. young arabs are doing standup on their own. they are using facebook, twitter, and youtube to get their message out. they are producing their road shows, which i think is actually better. it is more organic in the arab oral, stand-up comedy. >> you are not afraid of being overthrown? [laughter] >> is the comedy thugs that want me out. [laughter] infiltrators. >> the second point we want to talk about is campaigning or coordinating.

social action. using social media to bring together different people to recruit, to organize, coordinate people to work for the same kind of goals. what are some of the features of social media that facilitate coordination, and do you have any examples of success stories? >> there is an interesting story a few months ago, right at the beginning and things had started in egypt. "the atlantic", i think? there was a pamphlet that had been passed out on the streets and it was about how to deal with teargas and handle other issues. simultaneously, there is a global document that contains -- google document that contains virtually the same information. some people were updating it in real time. you can take a paper pamphlet and print it up and handed out to people and try to make sure

it does not get into the wrong hands, or you can use this online tool and get it out to thousands of people and then update it as things change. so you have this fascinating means of being able to organize in real time and change as the flow changes on the ground. >> are there any other specific examples from the united states? >> people say why does it not work in the u.s.? there are a lot of different reasons. one of the most prominent ways to organize -- that is something that has embraced social media, twitter, facebook. of boycotting campaign. when a celebrity says they are going to perform, you see people from all sides of the arguments.

that is a fascinating views of how to come together around this core issue. >> there'll be another panel tomorrow about media. dean, with setting up events and being an organizer of events and also a performer, or their other attributes of social media that help setting up these events? >> without social media we would never have the budget to reach out the way we have. we have a very limited budget. using social media is a great way for anyone to market any kind of action and idea. i do comedy as a form of activism on a certain level. to get the message out, if you have a business, there is nothing wrong with a profit. you can use facebook and twitter in a great way. we will talk later about the

effective ways of using it, but it has changed the world. in the past you have to spend a lot of money to put an ad in the new york times. today you get the word out on facebook and twitter. it is one to one. it is direct advertising for pennies. it is very useful. the reason stand-up comedy got known in the middle east is because of you to. -- youtube. you can broadcast into anyone's home anytime they want. you simply click on a youtube link and find out about american and now more broadly, other comedians. youtube deserves recognition for bridging the world in a way we that had never dreamed up. >> my friends in tunisia send >> my friends in tunisia send me more lolcats than anywhere else.

>> lol texts. someone takes a photograph of a cat and they put a funny caption under it. that have their own special language. it is all in english originally, but now you are seeing some people doing it in french. it has caught on globally. my mom sends them to me, but sotomayor friends and other countries. it is really fascinating. >> as much as social media is important in revolutions, it is also important for time wasting activities. the point about the cheapening of information is key. we know that money is power, but the ability to communicate with many people for pennies really has a leveling effect. that is what we saw with the arab spring. i am glad you made that point.

moving on to the third point, it is about social media being a tool that can be used well or it can be used poorly. i hope for those of you who use twitter and facebook, you might pick up some tips hear from people who are well versed in using them, or maybe you can use your own account to post your own tips. as broadcasters and receivers, what are some of the effective and effective ways of using social media? >> i would like to talk to the point of news organizations using it. "the new york times" has long had a twitter page. up until recently, it was

broadcast only. lately they have started to use it as more of a back-and-forth communication tool. that is really important. what andy from npr has been doing is reporting directly on twitter about what is happening on the ground. it becomes a really fascinating tool for journalists and news organizations to have not necessarily a primary source of that we cannot completely rely on online sources, but as a secondary source. al jazeera and cnn all had people on the ground and using their cameras and saying this is what is happening, but then you also had a local flavor

from people on twitter. i followed the egyptian revolution on twitter. i have friends in the country, friends who were on the ground. i looked at what they were saying and also who they were talking to to know who else they could trust. >> the term being used for that is "curation." it comes from the art world. there is usually an organizer who picks the best works of art and becomes a gatekeeper for information or art. andy is a great example of someone who is curating information from social media and become a credible source of redistribution. >> global voice is has been doing this for years. they follow blogs and report on what the bloggers are saying. it is complementary to

traditional media, i think. >> i want to ask about twitter account you recently set up called "comedians for sarah palin." that is his think social media as a political tool. what are you doing with this, and why do you think it will be affected. >> first of all, sarah palin is the best thing for comedian's sense george bush, and we want her to win. it is tongue in cheek, but it is an example of what anybody else can do. i wrote an article and start today "comics for palin" twitter account. if they say a joke about sarah palin in cyberspace i will find it and put it on the account. i think it is a great grassroots way.

i was lucky enough to get on cnn and talk about it because i have a relationship with them. you can start anything. you can start a twitter account for anything, whatever it is. something about a candidate. the beauty is, you can set it up in five minutes, then you start trying to get people to follow you, your friends, use facebook and twitter to follow what you are doing. it is a great time for empowerment. anyone can sit in your room, for good or bad, and create a web site or a twittered feed and start getting the word out and raising consciousness about an issue. it could not be easier right now to take action.

it is dangerous, too, but potentially great. >> are there any other tips you wanted to add in terms of the top few things of facebook order user can do to be more visible? >> you can use it for self- promotion, and we all do that. any time i write an article, i opposed it out to my followers because i want people to see it. it's absolutely have to connect with people. one of the best ways to make friends and network is to get other people involved. that is my big one. >> if you want to get more people to be friends on facebook or followers on twitter, it cannot be just you waiting and posting on facebook and sitting back.

it is when people make a comment about something you posted, you get pitbull to feel like you are having a conversation. they will turn around and reposed the article or comment on their own facebook or twitter account. it has to be a soccer conversation you are having with many people at the same time. the morning gaged york, the more people will want to speak to you, because they know there is someone there. i get comments and i respond and try to make sense of them. or just a conversation about an issue. >> the thing about the new media age is that when you say something publicly, someone can easily go find out of every perspective and bring it up against you. it would not have this problem so quickly in the old media age.

it is important if you make a mistake to correct yourself and be very honest about the mistakes you made. transparency is the way of the future, as shown by wikileaks. >> yes yes to have to go back and look it up, go to the library. now everything is instantaneous. it is out there and is free. >> that was a quick overview of social media. you don't get the impression that we think is going to fix all of our problems. there are down sides to it. there are pitfalls and social media. let's talk about some of those. can you think of any current

news -- >> i cannot think of anything. [laughter] the anthony weiner scandal, a man who was very skilled in using it, and he made one little mistake. he meant to send a picture to one young lady and he made it public for anyone to see who is following him on twitter. >> what was a picture of? >> i don't remember. [laughter] i think it was his last name. if you are going to send a picture of yourself, send it by e-mail. >> don't even do that. >> he suffered for that, and others have suffered.

the cyberworld cuts both ways. the other side of that, people can make up their own identities to attack you in cyberspace. there is no accountability, because no one knows who they really are. just look at the angry comments, they are off the charts and indefensible. >> look at the comments on any youtube video. >> there are a lot of hateful people out there. >> there is as much good that can be done as bad that can be done. there is a interesting case that jillian has been following that deals with the question of anonymity.

there is an interesting story about the put paul -- about the pitfalls of being on line. >> of the months ago a blocker who claimed to be in syria, she called herself a day girl in damascus. she had been blogging about her life as a lesbian in syria, and it was very compelling. it seemed like a very true story. there might have been a few facts that were off, but nobody said anything about it. a few months ago, cbs in the u.s. and "the guardian" in the u.k. but did stories about her. we all believe that this person was real. someone posted that she had been kidnapped by security forces. immediately the story blew up. it was like everyone was

panicking, this girl is missing. then they said she had a girlfriend. it turned out they had never met. there were no cousins. basically the entire story was fabricated. that found that she had stolen 150 photographs of a croatian lawman 11 in london, and that is the photograph she was using. now no one knows if she is real or not. what it comes down to is, there was an old cartoon years ago that said on the internet, nobody knows you are a dog. she could be american, she could be a man, she could be an infiltrator -- who knows? in this case, i think that journalists fail to do their

job. they never spoke with her on the phone or never met her. they just trusted and enter the exchange by e-mail. you cannot do that as a journalist. >> another dark side of the issue of social media, it also can be a tool of surveillance by those in power. i don't know if you read the story about how the activists were able to take tahrir square. they knew that there facebook conversations were being monitored. they organize these 20 protest all around cairo. the 21st was kept off facebook, and that is where the critical mass started. it was the power of social media, but not in a direct way. they were able to use it as a decoy for the government. then there is the example from sudan. from what i understand, the

government set up a fake facebook protest in sudan, and then they arrested everybody who showed up. >> they used as bait for everyone who came out. in syria, we heard that people were arrested and had their facebook passwords and demanded. in morocco a few years ago, a young man was arrested for creating a fake profile of one of the princes. to this day, no one knows how the authorities found out it was him. did facebook turn over that information? there have been cases over the years of social media companies -- i don't want to say turning on their users because sometimes they are forced to comply with local laws.

at the same time, they don't necessarily have our best interest at heart. we have to remember these are private companies, they don't owe you anything. >> when you put something on facebook, your privacy goes way down. i would not opposed anything on facebook where twitter that you do not want the media, your wife, your boss to know. i used to be a lawyer before i was a comedian. there is a very low expectation of privacy if you post something on that facebook wall. it is at your peril.

watch what you post and watch what you tweet. it can be used against you in a courtroom or in a lawsuit between two people. >> it has definitely been used in court cases where somebody said they were injured but then there are photos of them skiing. creditors can find you because they find your facebook account and then know what city or living in. there is the issue here where people get fired everyday for things that they pose. >> when you post something on the internet, is a lot easier to post than it is to take it down. >> it lives forever. >> when i was an undergraduate,

i received a very nasty hate mail from somebody. what did i do? i posted it on line. about four or five years ago i got a call from a company saying we are interested in hiring so and so. is it true that he sent you this letter that is posted on the internet? >> i said yes, it is true. [laughter] so remember, what goes up does not come down when it comes to the internet age. i want to give the panelists a chance to make a final thought before we open it up to questions. >> i am on twitter at dean of comedy. i think it is a great tool to keep in touch with people professionally, personally, and just is it intelligently. think about what ever you are going to post. it can come back to haunt you.

can also help your career a lot. it is a very effective tool to be used that way. >> i want to add that the level of knowledge or ability that you have to have to get involved is becoming lower and lower. it is easier to get involved in generating media. if you are intimidated by this kind of technology, don't be. just jump in and you will pick it up very quickly. >> my final thought, i think one of the things people need to be aware of is security online. for those of us in the u.s. who might need to keep a level of security, but those who travel also -- whenever you are

traveling, be extra cautious. learn how to use certain tools. the electronic frontier foundation has a lot of information on how to stay safe while using social media. >> we are going to open it up for questions. as abc members and convention goers, if you have recommendations for adc on how to use social media better, you can chime in at this time or put it on twitter. we hope you enjoyed the panel. is a microphone on? >> there we go. it is ready to go. >> i wanted to see if adc has a

staff for -- a staffer who could use the social media to raise money for the staff's retirement benefits and for their employee benefits and to make an endowment for adc. >> as the obama campaign showed, there are so many fund- raising opportunities for using the web and on line. >> there are organizations that work with nonprofits to help them raise funds. there is one that picks a charity of the day and says give a buck to whatever. this organization helps promote a different non-profit every day. there are a lot of amazing tools out there. >> it is very effective and

easy to do. >> i was born in damascus. i am lebanese, and i have lived in egypt all my life. someone could be muslim, christian, or jewish. every morning, i get on my e- mail or by the things, and is really making me sick. they are so wonderfully organized. they are so clever in using this media. i really would advise you to look at what they do, because it is wonderful.

every time from all the students in every university of what they should do. they are absolutely well organized, and i just cannot avoid looking at that. now that i am out of the closet, i hope they are not going to stop sending it to me. that have recipes, and i realize that all of our food at its origin in the bible. it is fantastic. i advise you to go there and really look at how it is being used. >> anything you do not know how to do, you can google it. there are templates for everything.

>> i am talking about systematically organizing our action. listen to what they say and the reactions to this. >> i am from the d.c. area. let's say you are working for adc or for anthony weiner's staff, and you go back to the split second after that information was released. what would you do differently to do pr damage control? that seems to be a major issue with a lot of organizations and individuals with social media. the second question is, what do you see as the future of social media?

how did you see organizations and individuals interacting and how does it change the realm of communication that people are having right now? >> for the first question, my answer is honesty. whenever scandal breaks and something like that happens, people are going to talk about it on twitter. i think you have to engage with people and answer them honestly. if the first response, if it is no comment, you are setting yourself up for disaster. >> yesterday there was a minor controversy. tracy morgan made some anti-gay statements. the next morning he was full apologies, saying i was wrong, that was not funny in any context situation.

it defused the situation. it is about being honest and forthright, coming out immediately and trying to change the narrative. if you say no comment or like anthony wiener, if you make of allegations, the more you like, the worst is going to get. being honest and forthright and responding immediately with clear answers that are credible is the best way of dealing with it. >> i think twitter -- facebook and myspace are closed platforms. i think twitter and the tools that are coming out like it are going to be more effective in the long run because they really generate conversation.

i have tweeted to celebrities and had them at tweet back. it really breaks down barriers. >> i am jealous because kim kardashian never answers me. [laughter] >> when i say celebrity -- >> real celebrity? >> thank you for the excellent question. >> adc says the question that is in controversy is going to be the opening song tonight. >> adc just released a statement that they will play malek jandali's song tonight, thank you for that.

thes that you've followed egyptian revolution on twitter. what differences in information did you see from what the people posted on twitter versus what the mainstream media reported? >> i will honestly say that i don't think there was a lot of bad reporting. when you are reporters on the ground, the reporting is fairly accurate. it is a difference between accuracy and comprehensiveness. they did not necessarily have a local contact. we don't necessarily know the history of the egyptian politics. there is a great movement happening on facebook and twitter and it is very important. but the egyptians are saying, we have been doing this for 10 years. the traditional media gives the

overview and twitter is giving you the details and the flavor, the local flavor. it is understanding what people really think and believe in the context of what is being reported. i had the tv on the background. in many cases, you can follow something like that on twitter. >> al jazeera had a clear advantage in reporting first and better in egypt. >> from twitter, you got the real facts. this is a controversy that could have been ended three or four days ago when it started. playing the video now is burning bridges and some communities. it will not make people who did not come to the event today say they are going to come in the future. it is going to take more than that. it will take a philosophical

change. the arab spring is not limited to the arab world. it is here as well. it is a really positive thing and hopefully there'll be more positive changes. it is and is going to be better in the future, with some changes. >> 10 years ago, had this happen, you would not have had the same kind of controversy we are having. this is happening because people are talking online. i firmly believe that. 10 years ago, a 24-hour turnaround would have been fine to fix the situation. >> it would have gotten a letter in today's about it. -- in two days about it.

>> my question is, we see with grass-roots organizations, they are elevating a message that is abstract and can get clear point across. as you become more elevated and more of a formalized organization, they want to have their cake and eat it, too. they post things that are energetic and unique, but there is always the sidebar that this is not an endorsement. anything we say is not a part of this thing. in this area of truth sector and large companies like facebook that will sell you out if they

feel like they need to, because they are not endorsing what you are saying. how much of this is going to change? >> i am one of those people -- i do not tweet for my organization. i tweaked for myself. i tweet about things that do not necessarily have to do with my professional work. there are a lot of corporations that kind of get it right. zipcar is a good example. jetblue is another one. zappo, the company that sells shoes, they interact very well with people. those are companies that really interact with their cable. if you tweet the word comcast, you have 20 people come on and say, how can i help you? you have to put an asterisk

instead of the o, to make sure that they do not. these companies do need to be able to -- my personal take on the situation, i think that twitter as a company does a good job in engaging with its users and being real and putting forth the philosophy that they really do believe in free expression. look what they did with wikileaks. they took up to the subpoena. twitter was subpoenaed by the department of justice to hand over information from a u.s. citizen and from an icelandic citizens. in the end, they had to do it but they resisted it. looking at these companies' e thos and how to use them is important. >> i am a comedian. i use that defense as much as possible. i think my time is running low

on that defense. >> thank you for the panel. it was very interesting. i work on leadership and community organizing at harvard. i want you to elaborate on one point and give us a more in- depth analysis. when you spoke about the role of social media, one of the main concerns is that commitment. you may have 20,000 people who voted for something on facebook. that does not mean you do not -- that does not mean if you have 20,000 people who will be in tahrir square. what is the role of social media in doing that? it is very horizontal, but at the same time you don't have hierarchy. in a sense there is no accountability and no rules. how do you account for being effective in social action when there are no rules?

the example you gave about the syrian woman and no one knew who she was or if she was real. your commitment shows in account -- shows in how adc operates. >> sitting on your couch, armchair politics, basically. slackivism. there is a lot of that. when you look at people signing petitions for sudan, or when you look at what happened in egypt, you have strong on-line

organizing. they had a strong background, the labor unions, etc. you had all of this happening and then you have these connections to the young people who are using social media. egypt is a specific case. i don't think you can replicate that without that background of activism. malcolm blackwell wrote an -- gladwell wrote an article saying you cannot have strong ties online. i disagree with that. some of the strongest ties that i have in my activism or with -- are with people i have never met or people i have met after meeting them on line first. the key is that you cannot assume that because you tweak to someone once that you have a tie there. but you can develop those ties online. there is a lot of back channel conversations that happen in the background, and you cannot discount that.

i do not remember the second question. >> in egypt, for example, if the debate just a there without tahrir square, it would not have had a revolution. it is the gap from the facebook page 2 tahrir square. there still has to be feet hitting the pavement. there still has to be face-to- face, and developing off line relations. it is not the end game, is a tool. setting up facebook page is not of victory. i think we should talk about the other questions. did you want to do something about that? classic question that organizations have all the town. how you get them active and come to the conventions. what motivates them?

there is no set answer that makes them passionate enough to come out. in egypt, it was freedom that motivated them. young people today, the same thing i heard 20 years ago, you do not want in do anything. it has to be important enough to take time and come out and give time to something else. you have to keep doing it. one facebook page will not do it. one tweet will not do it. >> this is the last question. >> i have something for you here. if you opened the page, you will find a letter from the syrian ambassador and the other from the bahraini ambassador. both are congratulating adc for

their record on civil rights. did this may be help you? [laughter] >> some dead letters. >> the other thing is that we are having a demonstration today at the white house for the syrian people at 2:00 p.m., so whoever is available, please help us. i am saying that because the page was taken down. how do you protect ourselves? >> what was taken down? >> for having this demonstration on facebook. >> this is key and i will say this. i will personally send an e-mail to someone to facebook about that. what happens on facebook is that if you have any enemies, which i am sure anybody talking about political issues does,

they will report you predict and click report this person and have this taken down. facebook is a huge platform so we have to give them a little credit. 600 million people? they cannot get to every case right away. but that needs to trigger a take down and then it goes to our review process, and that there is anything in arabic, maybe they cannot read it. there are all these problems are around getting a page pack up. that is really unfortunate. if your page gets taken out, put 20 more of in its place. that is really the only answer. i don't know how else to get that through facebook's head. it is frustrating and it is not fair and it happened in egypt with the page. it was taken down. they were using a pseudonym and facebook took the page down because you are not allowed to use a fake name. they had better call someone in,

and i do not want to use names, but someone in d.c. stepped in and took over -- took over the accounts so that it could remain online. this is a huge problem, and as active as, i say do not use facebook. and i do not know if that is the right thing to say because it is where the network is. it is a tough balance. >> remember the four points. it is a social media tool to use for organizing, broadcasting, but it does have its downside. learn how to use it right and powerfully. thank you for your time. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> next, a forum on the latest

on the arab political unrest. then a senate hearing on corruption along u.s. borders, and then on ways to increase employment opportunities for veterans. on "newsmakers," lamar alexander talks about democrats and republicans in congress trying to come to terms on the debt and tax and spending before of the second deadline, and about developments in the 2012 presidential campaign. >> how do you think republicans are feeling about the prospect of taking on president obama right now? who do you think has the best ability to do that? and what the processes that people like yourself go through when you think about being on the sidelines and jumping into the fray. >> they are all rational people

or they would not be thinking about it. if you're thinking long and hard about whether to run for president, you probably will not. my rule of thumb is, the requirement for a well qualified person is 90% announcing and finishing the race. if you will think about it, we had a great big complex country, more than 300 million people, and on the republicans side, you will end up with only two or three people who is ready to take it on. and that is almost already the case. i had been with one of the candidates last night. they had been to new hampshire where they had the midnight voting. i know something about it. >> can you tell us to that was? >> it was governor huntsman and his wife. i think he and governor pawlenty and governor romney all three former governors with strong

prospects and our party, and there may be more to have a chance to do that. >> did you give any advice to gov. huntsman last night or his family? >> no. if i were so smart, i would have been in the white house. >> what about president obama? his approval ratings have been up and down lately, but he is a sitting provident -- president, and the record of defeating a sitting president is not that encouraging. >> no, no one should underestimate president obama. i went with him to booker t. washington high school in memphis. he made a beautiful talk to the students there to come from families among the poorest in the country. it was a great example to them. he spoke directly to them. he will not be easy to defeat. but i worked were very good president one time, the first president bush, who lost after one term.

he lost because the democrat said, is the economy, stupid. republicans may be able to say i'd year from now he made it worse. 9% unemployment, food prices, gas prices, health care mandates, health care costs, slow walking trade agreements, undermining right to work laws -- all of that will throw a blanket over private sector job creation in this country. if republicans will say that we will not blame you for problems you inherited but we will give you credit for having made it worse, he will be more honorable to a stronger republican nominee. >> you can see the entire interview on "newsmakers" sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on c-span. it is also available online at c-span.org. >> on friday, the american-arab

anti-discrimination committee held a discussion on the political unrest in the arab robbery taking part in that discussion was the deputy administration for the middle east at the u.s. a eddy. >> i am delighted to be here moderating with what is sure to be a compelling and provocative discussion on the uprisings in the arab world. our distinguished beakers today bring arrange of perspectives on recent perspectives in the arab world. it will also generate dialogue with our guests in the on all -- audience about halfway through the session, and open it up to questions and answers about your viewpoint as well. a few minor notes. ralph nader is listed as being a member of our panel this afternoon but he is appearing at the grand banquet tomorrow

night. he will be the keynote speaker. one of our guests will be joining us later this afternoon. so we will get started right now because we're running late. allow me to set the backdrop for our discussion this afternoon. clearly we are all for gear -- familiar with the arab world and the uprisings which have presented them with unique opportunity to of vance and realize their aspirations for equality, freedom of expression, association, as well as political, economic, and legal -- and legal reform. we're here this afternoon to also explorer whether the largely protest on the part of

the people of egypt, yemen, bahrain, and syria and the violent reaction by autocratic regimes have changed the ways that arabs are used by the global community and by extension change the perspective of arab-americans in the united states. let us not forget that there are contemporary american history, arabs have routinely been the target, and fortunately so, of animas, discrimination, and stereotypes because of events that take place in the middle east as well as on u.s. soil. even when the events have nothing to do with arab- americans, the community and its members fall under suspicion. no one will forget the aftermath of suspicion following the horrific events of 9/11, which still linger. i pose a question to our distinguished panel -- how do

the events in the middle east impact perceptions of arab- americans? we are here at the adc, and so are we doing enough to encourage the awakening and how can we help? >> a very good question. the answer is covering all wide variety of interests. i am ashley ansara, and i am delighted to be here. thank you for inviting me. i never thought that the system in egypt would collapse. there i was very spry is.

-- surprise. i was there rebuilding my family and i came back to the u.s. in january 2012, and in the revolution happened january 25. my daughter called me and said, daddy, what in did you do? -- what in the hell did you do? [laughter] i have been there three times since january. to enter your question, just in a short statement, i think egypt is different today than i ever thought that it could be. to a lot of people from outside, it sounds like that there is chaos or unorganized, crimes are happening in egypt, but i would like to assure the audience here that egypt is safe.

egypt is beautiful. egypt is moving forward. give it some time. we need some time. egyptians overseas are delighted to go back to egypt for assistance or intellectual communication with the political back in egypt. but i believe that egypt is an example and i think many other countries in middle east will follow their example as we see today. that is the short answer. >> it is appreciated. how and arab-americans help the egyptian revolution? >> the arab-americans are egyptians, all egyptians. we really considered that the middle east is affected by the egyptian history and by the

scientific discoveries to thousand years ago. we never consider ourselves as egyptians but as part of the entire region, a syrian, lebanese, egyptians -- we are all the same people. but what we would like to say to the rest of the arab-americans in this country, come and visit. come and visit egypt. come and be a part of the revolution, bring your children, bring your family, bring your friends, come and see with your own ideas what cnn cannot translate. i guarantee that they are going to see different egyptians today. they are very proud, they are more lovable than ever before, millions of jokes every day, taxi drivers smile let you in

the face and say where are you going, and if you try to give them tips, they say, we do not want to add any more, thank you. there are a lot of things happening in egypt today. no bashees. >> that is different. but not everything has gone so well. it has been called the arab spring, the year of the awakening, but i do not see it as spring, because spring with blood is not very pretty. what can be able to help to support the democratic institutions? could you join us? we welcome you to the panel. would you like to give a brief introduction and answer or contribute to that question?

>> i am from libya. more from libya in the last year than it ever before. we lived in the continuing -- continue on, and we waver. if we were to measure our identity, arab or americans of arab descent, it changes. but over the last few months, it has been much easier being proud of your heritage. i have been living on facebook the last few months. the difficult part with libya is a military conflict now. it is between civilian

populations that have to arm itself and now by nato, and those who want to continue killing until it regains power or stays in power. i think the nato involvement was needed. if nato was not involved in march, we would have seen a horrible massacre and benghazi. the recourse to arms that the libyan people have resorted to is something that they have not chosen. it is something that they have to do. and we are grateful for the u.s. and france and british and the italian and european involvement. i know that that is very -- i

was supportive of the war in iraq. the involvement in libya was something that the libyan people called for. there remain calling for it. it seems that the libyan population are merging as pro- democratic basis for civil society, for greater expression of freedom, and human rights, and there is a desire to run things in a collective manner as opposed to the way that they were run, based on one person's ideas, his philosophy, and his criminal sons who ran the country. it seems that unfortunately arab-americans do not know very much about libyan, but we have

been in the news lately and i would say that the coverage has been largely fair. you can make the decision about the areas under get out the's control, the journalist and media have no access to any thing, and the areas that have rebelled against gaddafi are open. journalists can go anywhere. i think the choice is clear as to who to side with on this. nato's bombardment of centers has been accurate. in a matter of weeks or months, maybe things would change into a

country that is in the own -- their own people's hands. there is a lack of -- even the boy scouts were government organization in libya. there was not a single independent group. in tripoli, if you're caught with the internet in your house, you are detained. so this regime has to go. libyans are coming together to replace it with something better. the hope is that the country is strong enough to withstand the divisions that are perhaps natural to the population, but it seems like a new identity is emerging. you know you cannot pay extra

money for that cabdriver, and no one would ask you for money when you take them. >> in egypt, taxes are nicely priced. in libya, taxes are for free. -- taxis are for free. they are engaged in every facet of it. the 120 ngos started by libyans in the past three months, people doing lots of interesting things. even my people who are business people are involved in humanitarian work, in media, we have moved one notch from being business people into being activists. >> what can the united states do? >> i think the obama

administration could lend the transitional council money because there is no money. you heard of one libyan- american who used to teach at the university of washington, who left his post in the mid quarter and join the revolution and is now finance minister? will he does not have money. the libyan money has to feed the population. that would be something that the u.s. administration, the obama administration needs to do, help people right now. there is a humanitarian crisis. their 100,000 libyan refugees into nation. -- there are 100,000 libyan refugees in tunisia.

they are very limited. at least the money that libya has in the united states would be helpful. >> could you give the two lines of your biographical data? you are a professor at an arbor. >> yes, i am a writer and a poet. >> hady amr from usaid, tell us about your perspective. >> thank you for your discussion. can you hear me? i first attended, i think, i first attended a adc convention 10 years ago. i am really pleased to be here among the folks that i know so

well. when i think about that time period, that change over 20 years, i think about my son, we had our first child this year, and i think ford 10-20 years from now, i think about an arab world that i hope will be one that is freer, more prosperous, more democratic, more dignified, more participatory for its citizens, and i also think about an arab-american community they can also grow in its participation in civil society here it home and in partnership with the terrible. this is in the context of this information in the arab world and also in context with adc. i hope we have a growing partnership of the arab-american community with the positive transformations under way in the arab world and in partnership

with our government, the government of united states of america, which i represent. my name is hady amr, and i am at usa today and -- usaid. it is the governmental organizations that manages is our foreign aid. we talk about the arab spring, from attendees it to libya and -- tunisia to libya to egypt. i wanted offers some perspective from this white house about the events going on in the middle east. from the u.s. government perspective, we believe that we are inspired by the people of the middle east. you cannot hear me, ok. can you hear me better?

we are inspired by the changes taking place in the middle east and that they're being driven by the people of the region, and the principle that we have at the administration are as follows. we oppose the use of violence by governments against their citizens and by citizens against their government. we stand for the universal rights of all people. and we support the political and economic responses -- reforms. i want to turn to some of the countries in the region. today the situation in syria is particularly troubling and our government, the united states, is concerned about the crack down on the syrian people. president obama has been very clear on may 19 that things cannot return to the way that they were in syria and the fourth three months ago.

the president of syria needs to understand that its community is a part of the change, or not be part of the process. our government is watching carefully to see how things progress. finally, on syria, we support the right of syrians to speak their mind. the white house has taken note and disappointed to find that certain individuals are not performing here today. we provide about $1.5 billion of -- louder? i am yelling. i feel like i and yelling. move it to the center. interesting. is that better? i am practically yelling.

which is not my style. maybe there is a different microphone. usaid provides about $1.5 billion of international assistance each year across the arab world in morocco, egypt, jordan, lebanon, iraq, yemen, as well as the palestinian territories. we provide that assistance for sustainable development in low- income countries. since the beginning of the uprising, we have shifted our attention in egypt to be more responsive to the needs of the people in egypt. instead of just negotiating one- on-one with the government of egypt, we have put out programming that can be responsive in five areas, civic engagement, collections,

transparency, accountability, and civic participation. indonesia, even though we do not have a program on the ground -- in tunisia, we have a program on political inclusion, training, and elections. in yemen, we have $50 million, and we continue that program in the context of health and education, democracy and governance as well. thanks to the contributions of the american people, your tax dollars, we have been working to help partnerships across the arab world. what we would like to do is bring in the arab-american community into our work. for example, we launched a partnership with american charities for palestine where we were able to put 1000 laptops in schools in the west bank. it is that kind of work that we

like to do going forward. those of some introductory remarks. i can get into issues country by country as we go forward. >> we can also open this up a little later to the audience. but is the arab world ready for democracy? what does democracy mean to the arab world in the state of post- revolution, emerging new governments, and uprisings flaring up throughout the region? >> whether or not the arab world it is ready for democracy is a question for the people of the area. they have made it clear to me that they are ready to participate in the decisions that affect their lives. for us, democracy is not just an election. it is the process of ordinary citizens participating in the decisions that affect their own lives. yes, they are, and yes, they

can. >> they will have to develop democratic institutions critical to the taking root of the democratic principles. >> it will be a long route and different in every country. there are different democratic traditions in each country. and the people on the panel can be helpful in shining lights on that. but from our perspective, this can lead to positive outcomes that we want to support. >> to you think that libya is ready for democracy? " would it take to bring it to the point to come to the road of would democratic institution? >> i can speak about libya generally are specifically.

are arab-americans ready for democracy? do you know and arab community organization that is run democratically? and that is one question, because this is a good question. [applause] the syrian seigneur. i speak for myself and for many others. the disinvitation was a travesty. i've spoken to many people about this. there might be some issues of miscommunication, perhaps, but our organization has lost this public information battle and we're here -- we appear on

democratic -- undemocratic. are we ready for democracy? it seems that we do not handle it very well here in our organization. how do we handle what has happened? and if i can continue the song that was supposedly banned? >> the musician in question who will not be appearing tomorrow night is malek jandavi, a serious musician whose popular song as cause some controversy. >> and it is more popular than it ever was. i was not a big fan of it. but you need to hear it. here is the translation, if i may. >> and another note, one

panelist decline because of this -- declined to appear because of this diinvitation. that is her decision. >> i was also troubled on whether it, not. i came because you are here. but we are deeply troubled and i thought i would shared these troubles with you. and i would share with you the song. my country is i and i am my country. my heart firing my hain when will the pen right for loyalty in for love? when will your earth be felt by those who were nourished by some markers blood and a strong will? the people crying out, freedom

to the nations, freedom to the nations, oh, my country. cradle of humanity when the light of civilization spread, land of the mortars bled, we call out to my people, and all of humankind, [speaking arabic]

[speaking arabic] [applause] >> deep words, the thoughts of the troubled and we are in deep trouble. hopefully god will run moved the ball like from each -- will remove the blight from egypt and tunisia. hopefully it will give to the

rest of the nation as we come from. [applause] >> what do you see for egypt? elections are slated for this fall, parliamentary elections. where do you think the future lies for the egyptian revolution -- for thert > egyptian revolution? >> first let me say a couple of things. they should sing it at her son's wedding. >> how about tomorrow night? >> know, you have played -- i would hate to ruin it. i agree with you. we have different opinions about different things, but i see the

error americans are very mature. very democratic and very civilized, at least in this country, being here for 40 years. are they reflecting on what is happening in the middle is? i do not face up. i had multiple discussions with my friends and neighbors and my children as well. what we saw in the middle east is not as immediate in the west happened overnight, -- as the media and the west say happened overnight. anwar sadat was assassinated,

and then mubarak came. but none of the mission -- egyptian people accepted that the revolution would be the standard of the egyptian country. we had several issues with the revolution and the consequences of the revolution, especially on the communist. >> you mean 1952. >> yes. the january revolution is the youth, the young people that are not afraid to say no to mubarak and his regime. the old people, they were from the 1950's and 1960's, and could not do it without the young people. the funny thing is, these ministers in egypt and a prominent business people and

politicians, their children are the ones in this resolution. and they go on. i do not want to name some names of all business people, they go home, and they spoke to their children, why did you go to tahrir square today? and the boys says, i have been there a whole week. he is going to lose hundreds of millions of dollars of transactions that he had during mubarak's time. it was a boiling situation, and they were waking -- waiting for something to happen. and what started the revolution was to nation. -- tunisia. that was a heartbreaking story

to all the arabs in the middle east who are busy. all the young people through the media started to communicate on facebook and twitter, there really that owners of the revolution. the question is, how are the old people in egypt can cope with that open mind, it is a new question. for cause and the last 50 or 60 years, the youth do this one way. now that children are coming up in a totally different way. and that is what the prime minister of egypt, there is a huge disconnect between the cabinet members and the people to organize a revolution. >> the "washington post " has a

story about one movement. what is your sense of the power and its coalition with the mother bread -- muslim brotherhood? will egyptian turn more to a traditional form of islam? will they try and form a government in that way? >> i like to say this to the community, to the usaid, who has so many programs, to help us with electronic voting for the egyptian uprising. but i like to take this opportunity to ask my audience here to say yes, we need the money to do the electronic -- >> how would it change the outcome? >> i am not sure how many

egyptians are here, but if you are an american here, allow me to say that in a country that 50% are illiterate, how you expect democracy to happen there? you cannot have democracy and illiteracy in the same room. india is a different story. a totally different story. number two, we judge the effectiveness of a civilization and how the women lead. you allowed a 3.5 million egyptians to go work with the farmers and so forth, and then

after 20 figures, go home to egypt and they bring with them the saudi culture. >> it's an economic issue. >> that provide jobs, build your own society, build your own economy. >> why are we afraid sof salafi and the muslim brotherhood? can we make the muslim brotherhood more open-minded? are we afraid of someone to attack us? why are we afraid of our own shadows? we make our own status. i think that they are the shadows of the current regime. the regime is done. now there are new people. that question is a new one.

>> the more that these groups are in the open, the more that their ideas count. and it would be up for debate. you've heard of that one group he said that we would have democratic elections and if they win, there will be no more elections. that i lost. -- that guy lost. he declared his agenda very clearly. in egypt, they are probably more liberal than elsewhere. [inaudible] libya, we will give it to them. there is one oil tanker that will take care each of selections. the question is whether they are

operating in the opener not. -- open or not. where did osama bin laden live? up in the mountains. so this working in the dark comes together. but once you open up, the new ideas come. afists want? sall what issues do they have for unemployment? what about housing? didn't they do not have an agenda. >> they do not have solutions. >> they do not have solutions or agenda. i like to add that the islamic revolution has been hijacked. i think the question today for

us, we have an obligation, and they must understand what religion and democracy are all about. they must understand americans, to be honest with you. i see a lot of people say, america is bad and so on. i think we have a huge task ahead of us. usaid and the united states government were sponsoring the regime of mubarak for many years. against the wishes of the egyptian people. >> that is right. on the question of elections, the u.s. government and usaid is absolutely committed to apartment with the people of

each of -- of egypt to create participatory systems, to enable the people of egypt to transform their ways -- lives in a democratic and modern way. there was violence going, we're working together, and would be pleased to talk about this afterwards, but we are partnering in that regard. in fact, in response to the transformation in egypt and the departure of president mubarak, usaid shifted. it now does programming to make it possible for ordinary egyptians, for non profit organizations in egypt to apply directly to usa idea within the framework that i outlined. and particularly again in the area of democracy, said that they can engage with elections

and political processes are different areas. transparency and accountability is another, and civic participation. in the area of economic growth, it is believed that -- we believe that in addition to democratic institutions, we need to nurture the economy at the time of transition. we need to set aside a significant portion of money to work in these five areas, which is a youth employment, micro enterprise, local development, private sector partnership, and others. it is in partnership with the government but at the same time accessible by the people. we have held a town hall meetings all across egypt and we've had over 1000 people, hundreds of nonprofit organizations participating, and what we envision is an arab world and in egypt in this case led by the people of egypt to

create the country that they want. that is what this american administration believes in, that is what this president believes in, and that is what usaid believes in. >> that is very nice. [unintelligible] >> you did not do it in bahrain. you left bahrain to die. but the u.s. will work with democracy if it goes in tandem with u.s. interests, even the president obama said that these democratic things, we have to work with them even though they may be counter to our interest. i think obama is smart enough to realize that his philosophy in the long run will be good for

the u.s. and for those countries, but he also realizes that there may be some short- term and mid-term testing. >> before we open it up to the audience -- >> what we can do is arab- americans, this thing about the song has ended up about protecting the syrian regime from assault, which is a travesty. adc does not want a song here that protests the syrian regime, which is awful. as an organization, it is hypocritical to lobby against israel and not to say a word about these things. [applause] how do we live like this? how can you live with this idea of having principles for human rights, for all of mankind, for

all of our arab can, and then say, no, we only want them in america. we're watching the news every day. what happensng here and there. you're telling me that this does not matter and adc? it does not make any sense. we need to become a lobby for the arab population. and this will make us stronger. we can become a wedge between oppression and these regimes if we continue by of holding the american principles that we live under and work with the administration in that regard. then we can do some work. even cozying up to these regimes

is embarrassing. and it is embarrassing. it is time to stop it. it is enough. [applause] >> we like to open up to questions from our audience. please come forward, give your name and affiliation, and appear always said that the cameras can focus on you. >> i want to thank you for singing the songs for its. >> i just read it. >> tomorrow morning he will go for it. >> i want to say, it is outrageous, the fact adc does not have one speaker from syria to talk about the atrocities that the syrian government is committing every day toward the syrian people. it is really embarrassing. being the president and chair is from syria and not allowing the

syrian singer to talk, to give the syrian people the constitution, and just support that cause, this is outrageous. >> do you have a question? could you also state your name and where you're from? >> i am from syria. [applause] i want to ask, what is the united states willing to do to try to take back from the syrian government and stop the atrocities being committed every day? . be limited, with the following which is that, which is that i work at the united

states international development which is not, which is not the foreign-policy arm of the united states government so there is you know, there are policies in the government so i canshare with you you a few remarks but it is not the role of the usaid to state u.s. foreign-policy. begin of the united states is clearly condemning the government's mass murder and the rest of its people. we have recently opposed additional sanctions on the regime including president assad and his inner circle and we stand by the syrian people who have shown their courage and demanding a transition to democracy. president assad is the choice that he can lead the transition or get out of the way. that has been clearly stated by the president of the united states, secretary of state of the united states but in my position i'm not at liberty to elaborate further on the existing state of the administration. >> please take your name and where you are from. >> my name is samir.

i was baptized presbyterian where'd -- was invented in 1945. i've been here 47 years. i am a syrian artful draft dodger. my prayer is that the brothers and sisters here, arab-americans, will form an american task force for syria, just like we had an american task force for palestine, american task force for lebanon, because syria is a special place like egypt is a special place. all those places over there are special places. and so, with this body here, and with the other bodies that you all belong to, let's form a task

force for syria and because ralph nader wrote only the super rich , let's draft ralph nader starting now -- he is going to be here tomorrow. let's draft ralph nader for a peace party in syria and in three years dr. bechard is supposed to be coming up for renewal. maybe we will have an election. we will have a two-party system in syria and we will have ralph nar as president of syria. so the question is for you and usaid, can we have some -- funding for this project? we have an air of peace party in

syria where arab-americans who are like-minded bill draft ralph nader. >> justell them no. just say no. [laughter] >> what i can say is -- what i can say, what i can say is that wh the time comes, the united stes will be ready to stand by and support democratic transition throughout the arab world, country by country. >> next question, please. >> i am from detroit. i'm a long-time activist and i just want to make an observation that i came here excited about analyses of the arab spring and iac a gloom actually. on the bright side, i am excited

about the arab spring. is the most phenomenal, the most wonderful event that we have witnessed, that i've witnessed it. [applause] i don't see that discussion on the panel at all and i'm really shocked on the composition of the panel. no slam to adc. ica dissonance to what the arab-americans believe. i see dissidents to at the arab people believe. i don't need to beg money. i would don't want a idea money. i want democracy in my land, among our people. and all the values and all the statements and all the statements of a.i.d. that you can pronounce here, $1.5 billion, $3 billion to israel and the occupation continues, is hollow. it is hollow. i don't need your mone i need your principles for

support. i thought obama would come and do something different. it turns out he's just another bush, vis-à-vis israel and palestine. okay the question. how many water wells has the a.i.d. repaired in gaza? that were destroyed by israel? and why would they be allowed to be destroyed in the first place? these are the questions that i don't even want to ask. i'm just sharing that out loud. i believe that i reflect the sense of this audience. [applause] >> how many ter wells, was that the question? i don't have the data but i would be happy to share them with ou. afterwards >> questn please. your name and affiliation? >> my name is trent taylor.

i'm from kansas city, missouri. i would like to echo the comments made before me but i do have an actual question. this is for mr. mattawa. on different notes that similar, first, as a student of history and as the news observer, i am wary of the military involvement by outside forces in both egypt and libya. while in different contexts, i am speaking to the egyptian armies role as the caretaker in th current regime and more specifically in libya, the role of nato which has exceeded its

original mandate to maintain the no-fly zone is now more of an act that combatant in bolivian conflict. my general question to both parties is, what are your thoughts on the possibility that these military forces may hijack the democratic revolution? >> thank you. >> thank you. son tally in egypt, i have met with him and tomorrow i am having dinner with the egyptian ambassador in washington and the. from a conversation which i had with the provincial candidates in cairo, including mr. broady

mr. broady -- baradar a., it, the fear is there but it is not strong. the military would like to go back as soon as probably january, february of 2012. now, we have not seen a leadership that comes from the army, a young leadership to satisfy the needs of the egyptian people for a leader. i don't see that. i see many civilians, presidential candidates that and fill in the position. the army is the army. i don't think the egyptian people are willing to accept any military regime to run the government anymore and i think it was very clear during the january 25 revolution.

.. i don't think this could be possible. let me take this from the

audience that the muslim brotherhood is a combination of integral and political system. it has been involved with every village and town. we have places such as the ymca. in america we ymca basically in every town. we don't have the muslim brotherhood youth hostels. you're very much involved with everyday science. that's why we have deep roots and grassroots among. lots of people in the west, while the muslim brotherhood is going to destroy the christianity or destroy th church and so on. there have been violations.

the violence was three weeks ago and the leaders that the people that they want to enter. and there were young people, muslims and they told what happened. it was organized crime. it was totally organized crime and world money exchange, money laundering and summary dealers. >> of army in the interest of time, thank you for that insight. very complex situation in egypt this certainly can't be wrapped up in just a few minutes. let me turn back to or audience. state your name and affiliation. >> i'm from san francisco, originally from palestine and i

represent u.s.-palestinian network. my question is at the beginning of this discussion can be imagined it would take a long time in egypt to get stability, especially very set in and way, just from the resolution happened. it's interesting because this is a good question about the muslim brotherhood. it's a very organized group of people. is it going to take a long time because we were trying to, you know, gather or organize the other voices in together leadership that represents -- to represent the egyptian people? or how his leadership coming around? how do the grassroots people choose a leader bolick and the muslim brotherhood alrea established for years and years. thank you.

>> i think there are several. one, as you may have noticed the constitutional referendum that happened in egypt, which many people have -- had to revisit because people wanted deeper form of the constitution. there were those who wanted the constitution pretty much to remain the same or have very few amendments in it. so in a way, its not that diffent with the army. it was to emphasize the mesenteric or in do not really want to specular eyes were democratized in a deeper sense. they want to be able to prosecute people who are sorted same things that that are not except to vote religiously, et

cetera so right now when he shipped it seems like they are sort of working out a deal, which could in fact satisfy the u.s. can get is kind of -- sort of a democratic work. it would be like turkey in the 70s or so, we have started a a -- the military doesn't want to change because the military is a middle-class. if you go to future and cairo to anywhere, you will see club after club, the officers club, they go on vacation all over the country. some of them are millionaires. they own apartments that they rent out. so the military, even the middle don't really want a lot of change. they didn't want mubarak.

so now it doesn't mean they want to be read. and they want to consolidate the country religiously, but they want themselves to be divine. the military to wziristan has a younger generation, mostly americans who are maybe used to the ea of separation of power within the military and government, but the top, which is the soviet, maybe not. but again, the leadership of one in the 70s and 80s and they operate like a soviet confidant. so they are not that democratic. so there is bad. then you go back to libya for a second, which is to say it has

begun painful and may remain painful. i think the idea of wishing for leadership to emerge is probably one of the worst things we can impose. it's not really have charismatic leaders who will attract people. now when i listen to god. i can't believe we believ that. so let us be more open until something emerges. and then we are to thank god we have a very boring leadership. they cannot keep us from falling asleep and that his work for a while. politics needs to be the ark of the possible, but ultimately needs to be a quiet partner. there are lots of things to hatch up and not these countries. the unemployment -- i mean, after the violence. in the outcome if we we have

eedom of expression and openness about the prophecies, we will all benefit. these events are important because new identities are being born. when you have people in libya, when are you in february, that's when the. in egypt, new lies have begun. but it doesn't mean that it's not going to be painful. all kinds of people are quickly emulate the more open and more fluid. we should sort of role that the changes. you know, democracy in america took a long time. >> remember how he died? another leader, another foundi father killed him. things take time. so why do we went to errors just like that when you guys can

relate. so give us tim but also let's insist on openness. >> thank you. very well said. [applause] we think you're looking for leadership that is technocrat. a tremendous need for the technical skills that it takes four countries and new versions of government. >> in the end, they may -- technocrats have a different view. you know, they have souls, to. >> bring out the personality. >> by me jt say we enjoyed reading your technocrat. >> question, please. >> hi, my name is matthew zone and i'm a student at washington lee university in and turning

out washington on middle east affairs. the abu dhabi center released a report on public opinion in egypt since revolution. thin that report was the statistic that over half egyptians, the 52% oppose any kind of u.s. economic ad. that's not even inuding political aide, which is about 75% opposed. naturally, that might be because of a sickly to view at the u.s. involvement in the middle east and perhaps the full understanding town where it is going. how does usaid tend to improve how egyptians perceive and how individuals throughout the middle east perceive its work and perhaps our different channelsr aid and development, more multilateral, multinational channels with other option. >> thank you for your question. first of all, youknow, we recognize that we have

challenges, but we recognize -- and they'rea dversity of opinions. the government stands ready, as i said earlier to partner with the society that one aartment. we had the egyptian societies seeking a partnership in the areas of election. and we recognize there are others and we stand ready to work with people in egypt and the government egypt to shape a better future for all. we've already made this change, so we have shifted from a peer of bilateral program associated with the government to one where we articulate hey, we are setting aside this amount of money, $50 million to work in democracy and government. these are the areas we want to work in. we want your ideas. we want to be seeking proposals for me to tell us how you would

like to spend that money. we've done the same thing in economic growth. so, that's an intentional way that we have shifted how we are doing our work. anything from what we can tell from the massive response we got from people all over egypt, not just from alexandria, teams that are tremendous for pursuing that pathway. we know it will take time and you know, we stand committed with the people of egypt to create societies that are democratic, the increase in employment and are prospered. >> i would like to add a comment, too. i think your question is very family. i hear for many egyptians that they would like to ask her for the u.s. government to stop the

usaid program i have a dialogue with many of them. and then, one of those guys that i believe in the mission of the united states of america as a democratic nation. that's why were here. that's why i'm sitting where i am today, because i believe this country. and if i something differently, then i would eat hypocrite. and i hear some hippocratic remarks that the government in the middle east, so i think we're confusing, we are mixed up. but they did to the egyptians, we note that since it has been very good educati. the usaid money that came from the jet were sent to the

infrastructure, whether as well as, health care, sewer system, underground facilities. >> i didn't pay them. >> i didn't pay you to say that. >> i think we are as americans, we should say what good things and i think we should be fair. now is an egyptiaamerican i am proud of the contribution and a thank you for the u.s. government contribution to each other. >> and the taxpayers. >> this is all about money here. that is why we are here. but regarding the usaid money, it has been very positive, the egyptian lifestyle of today. >> let me go back to questions.

>> im director at the the center for responsive policy. i am palestinian. we heard mr. on and we have been hearing officials said the united states that are nouncing the use of violence again it's people. i am not regard of asking hy does slate are not silly if it's good enough or not good enough and what can be done because i believe at the end it's the rule of the people and democracy and other people is appreciated their role and democratic rules by other countries. to my question, and i know you're not responsive on the foreign policy, but i'm asking for your opinion is why we never heard any announcing a fusing of violence from the israeli government againstts people. it's other people against the people unless we are supporting in syria. thank you.

[applause] >> again, a thank you for your question. i think the president has clearly articulated his views -- the views of the united states government pursuing peace between israelis and palestinians into a palestinian state based on a 1967 borders with land swap. that is the position of the united states government. >> question please. thank you. >> yes, thank you. my nameis none higher sheet i am actually a physician and a community activist. i am from atlanta and originally from lebanon. and you know, i want to acolytes think some of the other participants here, the exciment we have. of course we are here for the arab american committee. we been up to fight terror for

civil rights as arab-americans, but i haven' yet heard, at least on the u.s. level a strong voice by the community and one solid voice supporting arab uprising. we are here to discuss -- the issues are complex or not here to solve everything. we urge you to sport how is this an arab-american community support the arab uprising? this is what i would like to mention? what are we really doing? for example, from the usaid perspective, are we supporting education? for example, o strength and democratic systems in the arab world. i worked in egypt for two years. i know what level the education system is not. the other thing, are we supporting women? the role of women in yemen and egypt habeen extremely amazing. i mean, when she went to prison,

she really turned up the whole situation. what are we doing to really educate these women about how to be better democratic forces? there was a question earlier about whether the arab world is ready for democracy. of coursethey are. are we ready for them to be a democratic nation? but then, my question is, democracy is an exercise. democracy doesn't develop overnight either. if we want these countries to be strong democracies, have to help them. it's our role as arab-americans to really do this kind of technology transfer. i wanted to ask mr. ansara if they would support arab-americans working together with other periods in the air countries to do that because i think we have a lot of capacities here, not to be overestimating our capacities, but as mr. -- i'm sorry,

dr. ashley ansara said the mobileave the benefit that we are thankful for the opportunities they got in this country. i think we have to give back a little. we have families, a lot we care about culture wise, family wise on all aspects of the airport and i think we need to mobilize as a community tour together with the government to actually provide this kind of support. we cannot just blame the government. it is our role to do that. [applause] >> at usaid we have to work with the government. >> we work with governments. why don't answer the question that will help with the follow-up question. first of all, for decades, partnering with the government and people of the arab world's work on education, health care, agriculture, roads, infrastructure, civil society,

really across the board in some dramatic ways. and it really to ak you to her website. and also, we have a table -- a registration table we can get a lot more information -- a lot more information. you asked the question about, resigned to partner with the arab-american community to help transform society in the middle east? the answer is absolutely yes. were already doing a been a computer program attack without and we also have something called development grant program and office of development partnerswhere we are willing to work with american ngos, willingto work with and just in the arab world to apply for u.s. government funding to undertake projects on their society. we have a vision for what actors in what countri those processes can be done in. it's available at our website

and the folks on a table upstairs in the reistration area should be altogether more information on it. but the answer is yes, absolutely yes we wan to do that. it's a passion of ours, passion of richey shah, the head of usaid, with new ngos. if you haven't worked with usaid before coming to get a double welcome because we have a special program to help new institutions that haven't worked with usaid to learn the system because it is a complex and domain situation, that yes absolutely. >> i will add to that. i think in the end, usaid would be an expensive u.s. foreign policy and as much connections can be made between ngos, unfortunately they are slow and

they are bureaucracies and they don't always have a lot of money. and i think what we as arab-aricans, we should really skip over this and so on. there's the idea of something without orders. ericwithout borders. there are ways that can be done. the peace corps -- how many americans go? >> u.s. government has a catalog. >> will you allow me? [laughter] i don't know. >> i have a lot of friends. but you're right. your point, which is interesting as arab-american participation in civic engagement is important. >> if you want to go, go there.

there's lots to do. civil society is blossoming ito arab countries. in syria, not to end it will have hopefully the regime. libya in north of egypt. there is something going on. really explain on their own. without having to go through them. but i think civil society is really where it's at. the idea wi promote he culture and ideas coming across, within our culture, not just individual. what happens in a lot of these programs, remote sordid american elite, what happens in european or american family want these people to create a communities. and now it is much more possible than ever.

>> the air up community needs to usaid all the time or have the time, but somethg can be done. you just have to make sure the money is here otherwise to go after you. >> finding money is always the hard part. they've got one more question bere we wrap it up. >> apparently that's me. i am from north waziristan. i don't know where to start, but we arab-americans are proud of what we are. we are proud of the american system that gave us the opportunity, which is life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. so this is grat. this is to direct their ansara. we came here we were given the opportunity. so we put that aside. now let's take the other side.

this life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, which is the american motto does not apply to a lot of people. the usaid is the more field that really so does the air people to live under the mubarak's and the salé and so on. so essentially, i wish people would revolt, not only against the people, but against those building the road here and allow the mubarak to skip over his people over the last 30 years. i resumed this site, so i think the revolution really should have multifaceted. one of them is to change regimes to become independe. the other world is undergoing

and realistic and domination. they really cannot change much. what is happening onhe middle east is these resolutions are being hijacked by the usaid money and we wanted to change it. but we accept the election of the brotherhood to mehran egypt? i tell if because they killed millions of people in algeria because they refuse democratic elections. they refuse the democratic election of hamas. so we are looking for who they wanted in power. and if that person does not come to power, they will not accept it. so my question is, when are we going to really move forward and understand it this way and function according? >> thank you.

[applause] i'd be happy to answer. >> we just hava few minutes. >> i really hear you. and this is funny because i came from a family of seven children. i am the oldest. i immigrat to america 40 years ago. one of my brothers died in 1973. and i went there and i can imagine the face of my father. my other brother is a higher key minister. and my sister is one of the leaders of the women's muslim brotherhood. what kind of family and really makes you wonder? thanks to mom and dad because they brought us our life to make ourselves free. that's why we have supplied my

household. but to answer your question, the mistake is not the united states government. the mistakes that corrupt people from its own is more corrupted and allow them to come into our homes. each country has its own strategy, israel has done strategy, united states, korea, china, saudi arabia. but in this country, we are demonstrating the society and the refusal of some people within a society who destroy the society problem, that our own problem. we should rebuild our home to other countriefor saudi arabia coect good the government.

>> let me allow remarks. >> we are to monitor and be careful with how americans can operate. every poor country is corruptible. it's very easy. you can't tell you poor man not to take a bribe. you know, in egypt, prices go up for you because you have hard currents. people want it. so you can't say this powerful country is not to blame when it comes than with money. so you know, poverty causes these problems, but weneed to monitor what happens in the u.s. and in suits that transparency occurs in the arab world from

here because with the u.s. has failed in the last 30 years is by doing what's right in terms of human rights and torture. an income of the u.ssends people to be tortured in the arab world. i mean, who's fault is that? >> it's our fault. our political govement is corrupt. how many people are in egyptian prisons in the last 25 years? >> very many. >> here we go. now we are saying goes. i have seen democracy -- the answer is there is leadership. that is why. you know, if we have the leership, that revolution would be failed. the question is how far can we go without a leader? >> were going to wrap it up. >> i just want to offer a few

concluding remarks. first of all -- >> i have another commenby to make. >> allow me to your last remark. we may allow a question. but questions are close. >> i just want to say the president of the united states made remarks on may 19 about how inspired we've been the government and how hopeful we are on the future for the people at the airport road. >> maybe we can help them remain. >> as the president of the united states sending a team cannot we are inspired by people of the arab world and we hope there will be citizen might transformation, positive society. on a personal note, i enjoyed my participation with the panel. i want to thank the panelists, the audience. i'm glad i came. i learnea lot and i want to

say again, the united states government and usaid stand ready to partner with you. you trance form societies. with special programs for ngos that had notet worked with u.s. government and are ready to work with you if you're interested. we've even gone to begin a dialogue so we hope you'll visit with us. thank you. >> we as arab-americans really need to keep up the work for human rights and transparency allover world. we will ask for a better conditions i would do in the senate we want to be tenacious against israel as much as they can be. and then we say nothing about her producer torture. it needs to stop and we need to really stay with her conscience

all the time. thank you very much. [applause] >> on behalf of myself, i think khaled mattawa, hady amr, ashley ansara regency holdings. we thank you for joining us this afternoon. you've been wonderful. thank you very