RADIO SAWA AND THE US PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST: ENTERTAINING THE ARAB YOUTH OR “WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS”?
Mahmoud M. Galander *
ABSTRACT
This is an exploratory study of the Arab youth perceptions of Radio Sawa, a US public diplomacy radio broadcast channel. Univariate analysis of a convenience sample of the Qatar university students’ exposure to the Radio stations programs and their perceptions and attitudes about the US foreign policy seems to imply that that Radio Sawa is widely used as a music channel but it does not seem to succeed in selling US foreign policy position to the Arab youth. The study stresses the need for a more representative study of the Radio Sawa’s claims as a successful tool of the US public diplomacy.