Loading ...Interview with Prominent Arab American Researcher, Dr. Shibley Telhami
BY: Kristina Perry/Contributing Writer
WASHINGTON, DC: Dr. Shibley Telhami is one of the leading researchers on public opinion polling and research, examining American foreign policy priorities. His research often focuses on opinions toward the Middle East, Muslims, and Arab communities. His recent research presented at the Brookings Institute in Washington, DC examined the shift in public opinion towards Arab refugees and Muslims after the Orlando shooting, as well as the divisive rhetoric of the current election cycle.
Dr. Telhami’s research results have been covered by Arab America twice before, and on Monday, he sat down with Arab America to discuss what launched his career in research, and why his work is so important for the community.
Where He Started
As a professor, Dr. Telhami’s career has always been based in academics, and research has been a requirement for all professors to establish themselves and earn tenure. But for Telhami, the type of research he did was key. Early in his career, he felt motivated to report on the small amount of information being used to shape public opinion and discourse. Recognizing that there was a large dismissal of public opinion in academia, Telhami conducted his first poll in the late eighties, which focused on how the American public viewed the Middle East.
“I was puzzled by the mismatch between information and American public opinion,” said Telhami, “especially on the Middle East and democracy.”
Shortly afterwards, the first Gulf War began with the invasion of Kuwait. Suddenly, Telhami’s research was rocketed to the forefront of public policy formation. Public opinion plays an important role in the success or failure of implementing policy decisions. As the Gulf War continued and American involvement in the Middle East expanded, so did Telhami’s research.
“Space opened up with information and tech innovation to do public opinion polling, and [it] was found to be useful,” said Telhami. Describing the time after 9/11 as “an increasingly intense environment,” Telhami was repeatedly approached to continue his research into public opinion regarding the Middle East, and went on to do ten consecutive years of polling and researching political identity.
These experiences culminated in his book, The World Through Arab Eyes. Drawing on his decade of insight into identity politics and their effects on public opinion discourse, Telhami examined the key factors in the Arab uprisings of 2011 and provided prisms through which the region could be examined.
What’s the Point
Ultimately, this is what Telhami’s research aims to do: provide a framework for understanding the mindset of the public, answering the deeper question of why people hold their opinions.
For Telhami, identifying shifts in opinion is the short-term question, and to him, the least interesting. Telhami is always aiming for a greater understanding of the role information plays in political identity and public opinion. Creating questions such as “which world leader do you most admire?” allows analysts a more nuanced insight to the worldview of respondents, and to dig into what Telhami calls the most interesting question of his research.
“What is the mindset employed when forming opinion? Why is this the case? This is the intellectual driving force behind my research.”
At an even deeper level, Telhami aims to put facts back into public discourse.
Since his research has become tied to hot button issues, such as Trump’s proposed Muslim ban, perceptions of American responsibility for the current state of Middle Eastern affairs is as essential as ever. With rising polarization of the American public, and a growing ideological divide between and within the parties, identifying long term shifts in public opinion in conjunction with analyzing the impact of identity politics sets Telhami’s research apart from others.
Two years ago, after analyzing Hillary Clinton’s stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in comparison with shifts in self-identifying Democratic public opinion, Telhami predicted that in the upcoming primary season, another Democratic candidate would emerge to challenge Hillary. Enter Bernie Sanders, who captivated massive Democratic and Independent support for his stances on economics, equality, and his insistence for change on the issue of Israeli-Palestinian relations.
“A lot of what I do is scholarly, academic…related issues, but hot topics ultimately enter the public discourse,” Telhami said. And as they enter public discussion at greater rates, Telhami’s research has an important place in taking the facts out of the research and introducing them to the discourse.
Changing the Game
Social media plays a large role in initiating discussion and creating a discourse outside of the control of media conglomerates. Millennials in particular depend on social media as a means to stay tuned into current events and use sources and opinions circulated on social media platforms to construct their own opinions.
Dr. Telhami identified the role of social media as very important, stating, “Information is central, and social media robs governments of a monopoly on information.”
This undermining of a central informational narrative is especially explosive in America, where media offers little diversity in opinion compared to international sources. When media conglomerates control the flow, presentation, and availability of information, established views are rarely challenged. Social media reporting has drastically changed this by putting “some voices into play that weren’t there before.”
Telhami terms this movement as “empowerment,” explaining that, “marginalization allows community organization without political parties, [and] creates a certain momentum amongst segments that have not been previously politically active.”
Additionally, social media connectivity allows for greater intercultural communication. Interaction between cultures, whether digital or real life, has a measurable effect on opinions regarding immigration, the possibility of coexistence between cultures, and overall positive or negative world views. Higher rates of social media connectivity between cultures has led to an acceptance of the idea of “world citizenship,” or the belief that while citizens of different countries may be separated by borders and governments, there is an overarching human connection between citizens of all nations.
While social media has also enabled a vocal platform for racist groups, it has given greater capabilities to groups with a focus on protecting human rights, as well as projecting empathy and ideas of universality.
“Identity is a relationship,” Telhami says, “we define ourselves in relation to ‘other,’ in a sense.”
In ending the “us vs. them” narrative of media conglomerates, social media reporting has broadcasted a cosmopolitan worldview, and upended conventional wisdom.
After the shooting in Orlando, the American public shifted their views on Muslims, religion, and the possibility of peaceful relations between cultures more positively, rather than the expected negative. Especially amongst millennials, respondents to Telhami’s polls responded to divisive rhetoric by increasing their support for targeted communities.
As the election madness increases, it is crucial for Americans of all backgrounds to heed Dr. Telhami’s advice to examine their own political identity, and to re-introduce facts into their discourse. Otherwise, the majority of Americans may find themselves disgruntled by election results than happy.