What do you call a magazine aimed at young Arabs which tries to describe Western culture? Well, according to the ad exec responsible for marketing it, “[…] not a propaganda thing.” Let’s hope they don’t make that the ad slogan.

New magazines start up all the time, and each of them is just as interested in snaring a particular demographic as the above mentioned Hi; many American magazines are marketed abroad as well. They’re not considered propaganda. What’s unusual is that most new rags aren’t bankrolled by the US state department.

Unlike the U.K. or Canada, the American government isn’t connected in any way with providing content for strictly entertainment purposes. There are plenty of educational pamphlets and videos – but this is something new. Of course, it’s not being sold in the United States; Hi exists to provide a window into American life for Arab teens and young adults. Perhaps, if they see us as human beings, they won’t hate us quite so much.

Does that line of thinking actually make sense? Israelis and Palestinians have been living in close proximity to each other for decades, but they don’t seem to have lost much hate for each other. A magazine based on showing Arabs that we’re not so bad after all seems like a huge waste of time and money: It simply won’t do what it says on the label.

According to an NPR report about Hi:

“The first two issues included a report on American college life, through the eyes of Arab students, a feature about the growing prominence of Arab music in the West, and a story about Internet matchmaking. The magazine steers clear of politics. A State Department official recently characterized Hi as a vehicle for American values.”

It’s hard to think of topics that Arab kids would care about less. In addition, it seems strange that a magazine funded by the State Department would shy away from politics, when that’s the one thing that Arabs are in the most need of understanding.

Some Americans blame their unemployment problems on illegal immigrants (when in fact American companies who export their jobs overseas are really the offenders). Some Arabs blame all of their problems on America. If the State Department really wanted to stem the tide of anti-Americanism, it would put out a magazine which explained our foreign policy.

Of course, that might be a little to on the nose. The only way to get Arabs to accept American foreign policy is to convince them that it benefits them in some way. That will never happen, for one simple reason: It’s not meant to benefit them.

No country in the history of the world has made important foreign policy decisions based on what’s best for foreign countries. We might throw around a little humanitarian aid, but most of it winds up coming back to us in the form of contracts for things like water treatment facilities and such. A magazine intended to explain American actions abroad would amount to a one page, one issue print run: “We’re looking out for our own interests. You look out for yours. Of course, we’re much, much bigger than you, so watch out.”

-B. C. Silvia