UCLA and Adelphia Communications Create New World Affairs Television Program
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.