UCLA and Adelphia Communications Create New World Affairs Television Program

January 11, 2002

UCLA and

Adelphia Communications have teamed to create a television series that

brings a West Coast voice to the key issues in global affairs that have

emerged since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Titled

“World in Focus,” each program in the four-part series first airs at

8 p.m. on Thursdays beginning Jan. 10 on the Adelphia Southern California

cable system, followed by daily broadcast at various times for one week. 

The programs

can also be viewed as streaming video at www.isop.ucla.edu.

“World

in Focus” brings together elected officials, public and private sector leaders,

journalists, and UCLA faculty to explore America’s role in the world

post-9/11, including such issues as national security, bioterrorism,

the international economy and the global role of American entertainment

and media.

“‘World

in Focus’ fills an important niche in public affairs television by bringing

a new West Coast perspective to the discussion of America’s role in

the world post-Sept. 11,” said Albert Carnesale, UCLA chancellor and

an authority on national security who will participate as a panelist

in the first “World in Focus” program.

Each “World

in Focus” program analyzes a specific post-9/11 theme, and features

a mix of one-on-one interviews with key news figures, along with roundtable

discussions on major issues.

The themes

of the four programs are “Securing America” (Jan. 10), “The War Against

Terrorism” (Jan. 17), “9/11 and the Global Economy” (Jan. 24) and “Hollywood

and the Media Post-9/11” (Jan. 31).

“World

in Focus” is co-produced by Adelphia and UCLA International Studies.

“The optimism

of the 1990s — the belief that the post–Cold War world would be one

of peace and prosperity — ended in a single moment on Sept. 11,” said

Geoffrey Garrett, vice provost of UCLA International Studies and an

expert on global political and economic relations. “We are beginning

to reassess global issues and America’s role in them, and ‘World in

Focus’ will contribute to this new appraisal.”

“‘World

in Focus’ will tackle the key issues,” Garrett said. “How does international

terrorism work? How can we protect ourselves against terrorism and fight

a war against it?  Why does America’s role in the world provoke acts

of terrorism? Is America more vulnerable than we thought prior to Sept.

11? How can this vulnerability be reduced?”

In addition

to Carnesale and Garrett, other participants include U.S. Representative

Howard Berman (D-Calif.); U.S. Representative Brad Sherman (D-Calif.);

Los Angeles Sheriff Leroy Baca; venture capital executive Frank Biondi;

RAND terrorism expert Brian Jenkins; chairman and co-founder of Phoenix

Pictures Mike Medavoy; financier and philanthropist Michael Milken;

Los Angeles Times columnist and KCET commentator Patt Morrison; Michael

Intriligator, director of the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations;

political analyst and commentator Arianna Huffington; and UCLA faculty

specializing in national security, bioterrorism, public health, the

global economy, communications and international law.

“After

Sept. 11, it became clearer than ever that we must focus new attention

on the world outside our borders,” said Medavoy, a consultant to “World

in Focus” and co-chair of the UCLA Burkle Center’s advisory board. “We

live in a global village, and we need to better understand the issues

that affect all of us.

“Most news

outlets provide a brief, canned, East Coast-focused version of news

events without thorough discussion,” Medavoy said. “‘World in Focus’

will, I hope, provide an in-depth forum to bring together the best minds

from the top West Coast institutions to review the key problems and

explore potential solutions, without a bias.”

“World

in Focus” is moderated and produced by Bill Rosendahl, vice president

of political affairs for Adelphia Communications and a long-time moderator

of public affairs programs. Randall Fisher, vice president of legal

affairs and general counsel of Adelphia, is executive producer of “World

in Focus.” Amy Sandler and Margaret Hasheminejad are co-associate producers

and coordinate UCLA’s and Adelphia’s contributions to the program.

“World

in Focus” airs on Adelphia’s Southern California system of 1.2 million

cable subscribers. Broadcast may expand into Adelphia’s national market

in 30 states.  After the initial broadcast at 8 p.m. on Thursday, each

program then airs on Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at

10 a.m., Monday at 8 a.m., Tuesday at 11 p.m., and Wednesday at 9 p.m. 

To view

"World in Focus" at any time on streaming video, visit www.isop.ucla.edu.

-UCLA-                                              

LSHL009

 

World

in Focus

 

A

four-part series produced by

UCLA

International Studies,

The

UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations

and

Adelphia Communications

 

Programs

and Issues

Program

1: Securing America (Jan. 10)

How prepared

was the United States for the events of Sept. 11 and the subsequent

bioterrorism? What are the primary threats to homeland security in the

future — conventional, nuclear, chemical and/or biological — and what

are the possible means of delivery for these weapons (conventional and

nonconventional)? Does it make a difference whether these threats come

from nations or from non-state actors/terrorist organizations? What

do America’s recent exit from the ABM treaty and its plans for national

missile defense mean for national security?

What is

being done — at the national, state and local levels — to improve domestic

security, to ensure emergency preparedness and to alleviate the nation’s

anxiety and emotional stress post-9/11? Is the federal government working

in concert with local and state leaders or are the lines of authority

unclear (such as with Gov. Davis’ announcement of the threat to California’s

bridges)? Are visible initiatives such as tightening security at airports

and the establishment of an Office of Homeland Security more public-relations

exercises than effective measures? How does Los Angeles rate in terms

of emergency preparedness (hospitals, first response, preventative measures)

compared to other California/U.S. cities? How do we cope with other

disasters (such as earthquakes, bombs, acts of war), and how do we allocate

scarce public resources (e.g., vaccinations)? What is the status of

our public health infrastructure?  What balance should be struck between

national security and civil liberties? Should America tighten its immigration

procedures, engage in racial profiling and government surveillance,

and limit freedom of speech? Is it appropriate to try those accused

of terrorist acts in military tribunals? If so, how should such tribunals

be structured?

Panelists:

Michael Intriligator, director, UCLA Burkle Center; Khaled Abou El Fadl,

acting professor, and Eugene Volokh, professor, UCLA School of Law;

Peter Katona, assistant clinical professor of infectious diseases, UCLA

School of Medicine; Linda Rosenstock, dean, UCLA School of Public Health;

Rick Greenwood, director, UCLA Environmental Health and Safety; C. Scott

Saunders, associate director, UCLA Trauma Psychiatry Service; Connie

Rice, Advancement Project.

Interviews:

Albert Carnesale, chancellor of UCLA; Howard Berman, congressman, California’s

26th District; Leroy Baca, sheriff of Los Angeles County.

 

Program

2: The War Against Terrorism (Jan. 17)

What were

the causes of Sept. 11?  Can we and should we work to change anti-Americanism

in the Muslim world? Is religious fundamentalism itself a threat to

American security? What is the report card for the war in Afghanistan?

Should the war be extended beyond Afghanistan? Will removing Osama bin

Laden immobilize al-Qaida and related terrorist organizations, and in

so doing eradicate terrorism, or will that only provoke more terrorist

acts? Will the United States be willing to take action against other

nations, even if such action will result in the loss of coalition support?

Should the United States attack Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein?

What are

the interrelationships between the war against terrorism and the Arab-Israeli

and India-Pakistan conflicts? How can America best further its strategic

interests in the arc from the Middle East to South Asia? How should

American foreign policy adapt to a new world in which major threats

to national security do not necessarily come from established nation

states? Should the United States reevaluate its support of conservative

Arab regimes such as Saudi Arabia, and its dependence on their oil?

Should international institutions for collective security be strengthened,

or are informal international coalitions more effective?

Panelists:

Aamir Mufti, UCLA associate professor of comparative literature; Marc

Trachtenberg, UCLA professor of political science; Steven Spiegel, associate

director, Burkle Center; Amy Zegart, UCLA assistant professor of public

policy.

Interviews:

Brad Sherman, congressman, California’s 24th District; Arianna Huffington,

political analyst and commentator; Mike Medavoy, Phoenix Pictures.

Program

3: 9/11 and the Global Economy (Jan. 24)

How much

of the slowdown in economic activity around the world can be attributed

to Sept. 11 and its aftermath? How deep and long-lasting will the recession

be in the United States and abroad? What should governments be doing

in response? Will the reemergence of partisan politics in the United

States on domestic economic issues prolong the recession? Will the war

against terrorism divert attention and resources from domestic problems

such as the fiscal and demographic strains on social security and the

health-care system? Will the global slowdown limit the willingness of

U.S. allies to remain part of the anti-terrorism coalition? Will the

era of globalization end with, or be reinforced by, 9/11? What are the

relationships among globalization, poverty and terrorism?

Panelists:

Geoffrey Garrett, vice provost, UCLA International Studies; Edward Leamer,

director of the Anderson Forecast; Lynn Stout, professor, UCLA School

of Law; Peter Navarro, University of California, Irvine; Don Straszheim

and Susanne Trimbath, Milken Institute; Jim Bates, Los Angeles Times.

Interview:

Michael Milken, Milken Institute.

 

Program

4: Hollywood and the Media Post-9/11 (Jan. 31)

What has

been the quality of American media coverage of the war against terrorism?

Has coverage been different in other countries? Have newspapers or television

been more influential? Has the competition for market share among cable

news networks improved or diminished the quality of news coverage? Should

we trade freedom of the press for secrecy in the name of national security?

What role does — and should — the entertainment industry play in shaping

global perceptions of the United States? Do Hollywood, MTV and other

forms of U.S. popular culture promote worldwide democracy or incite

anti-American backlash?

Panelists:

Jeffrey Cole, director, UCLA Center for Communication Policy; Brian

Jenkins, RAND.

Interviews:

Frank Biondi, Waterview Advisors; Mike Medavoy, Phoenix Pictures; Patt

Morrison, KCET.