The Suck, it burns…:

The Egyptian bureau of al-Hurra, an Arabic-language television network financed by the U.S. government, boasts a spectacular view of the Nile River and the capital’s bustling streets. But inside, all is quiet.

The bureau’s satellite link was unplugged with little explanation a few weeks ago by a local company, making it impossible to broadcast live. Since then, staffers have had to use a studio controlled by the Egyptian secret police, who have warned guests not to say anything controversial on the air.

Al-Hurra — “The Free One” in Arabic — is the centerpiece of a U.S. government campaign to spread democracy in the Middle East. Taxpayers have spent $350 million on the project. But more than four years after it began broadcasting, the station is widely regarded as a flop in the Arab world, where it has struggled to attract viewers and overcome skepticism about its mission.

Ironic name, considering its status. What’s Arabic for “The Imperialist Welfare Project”?

This being a terrible idea should’ve been obvious from day one, simply due to its contradiction of the stated purpose: seriously, promoting “democracy” via a foreign government financed network? That’s like showing the film “Dogma” in hopes that it’ll promote catholicism. Knowing that the real problem is a lack of Liberalism, since democracy in and of itself means zilch (imposed on a cultural context devoid of respect for the rights of differing groups, voting just formalizes the same tribal strife that was there already), what logically follows is acknowledgment that the road towards liberalism is paved with very difficult arguments. Them being part of a culture so different from ours, the discourse that would flow from such is inherently going to involve things that will offend us. Al-Hurra is rightly seen as an attempt by an outside party to control the discussion, which is why it is failing.

Arab journalists and viewers say al-Hurra has a basic problem: It is boring. Investigative pieces are rare, and critics say the channel generally doesn’t make waves.

Salameh Nematt, a Jordanian journalist based in Washington, said that al-Hurra, like many of its competitors, has ignored controversial issues such as financial corruption involving Arab leaders and the use of torture by security forces.

“Al-Hurra would have been the number one station in the Arab world had they done one-quarter of what they should have covered,” Nematt said. “People say if it’s an American station, nobody will watch it. That’s crap. If it’s an American station that does a good job, everybody will watch it.”

What Nematt is missing here is that doing a good job would involve acknowledging issues that are…inconvenient, to put it lightly, to the actual aim of US policy.  They can’t exactly air stories about torture when people can just throw Abu Ghraib in our faces in response, for example.

Al-Jazeera comes closer to the mark on promoting discussion of alternate viewpoints, yet we now treat it as enemy propaganda. What does that tell you?