The Pressing Need for Dialogue
By Elise Alexander
US
Every time I turn on my computer and bring up the Internet browser, BBC News shows up as my home page, bringing with it an air of comforting confidence and the feeling that, no matter where in the world the news is happening, those three red, solid block letters and the swirling orange globe will have a grasp on it. As a student of international relations, I like to keep up with what’s developing, but don’t have a television set. That BBC website is my main tie to the outside world. This is one of the reasons why having the opportunity to visit the studio for BBC America with my esteemed professor, Akbar Ahmed, was one which had me jumping up and down with an embarrassing lack of self-control. For goodness sake, I met Rome Hartman, the executive producer of BBC World News America, in the course of the visit.
The other reason is the professor himself. I come from Georgia, a state known more for old-school hospitality than for its cosmopolitan nature, and so attending college in Washington, DC, has been an education and a half for me. As a Christian for whom religion is a vital part of life, but who cherishes her friends of other faith traditions, I have become involved in interfaith dialogue in many different levels in DC, from student groups like Project Nur to the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington itself. Throughout these efforts, I consistently heard the name of Akbar Ahmed praised as one who is a bridge-builder; imagine, then, my elation upon being able to not only become his student, but also a part of his research team. It was in this capacity that we ventured out that day to the BBC: Professor Ahmed, a former ambassador of Pakistan to the UK, had become a voice for American policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan and was to have several interviews. He sounded a clarion call for America to prove itself a steadfast friend to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and for Americans to fully realize the import and consequences of the things that go on halfway across the world.
It is vital, I believe, and I believe even more strongly after my experience at the BBC, that dialogue must occur between people who differ in culture, religion, background, and any other classification. On a solely personal level, it makes the lives of those involved richer and fuller; in this way, you experience the beauty of things you could not have imagined, and so are able to imagine more. This is the kind of talk that makes eyes roll, however, and dialogue cannot be made into some kind of self-help regime.
Dialogue is just as imperative, however, for purposes of strong decision-making by those in power. If leaders understand only the perceptions and thoughts of “their own”, they will always be blind-sided completely by any adverse reaction to their decisions. In an increasingly global world, one can’t afford many of these unpleasant surprises. By “those in power”, though, I do not mean solely those who hold office, but also those who control what some call “people power.”
Valuing and upholding human life and dignity are integral to building a sustainable and accepting society through everyday interaction; knowing your neighbors, even those who live more than a few doors down, is integral to valuing their lives. Though it is easy to reduce a nation to its figurehead ( Iran to Ahmadinejad, the US to Bush or Obama, Afghanistan to Karzai), but there is no nation of one. To even approach an ability to deal with the broader world community, one must appreciate the variegation of the humans who make it up, and that requires dialogue.
