In this age of pious punditry, Peabody Award-winning foreign correspondent Reese Erlich carries refreshingly little baggage. He always tries his best to leave any preconceived notions or biases at the door, even when interviewing alleged terrorists, war criminals and other so-called evildoers.
He gives everyone a chance to speak their mind, then processes what he's heard and turns it into genuinely balanced reports. Isn't that what real journalism is supposed to be all about?
Erlich, who's been a reporter for 40 years and worked in some of the most dangerous spots on the globe, regularly contributes to NPR, Vanity Fair, CBC (Canada), ABC (Australia) and the San Francisco Chronicle. In his fascinating brand new book, "Conversations with Terrorists: " he draws on original research and firsthand interviews to paint a surprising and vivid picture of some of the most notorious leaders in one of the world's most volatile regions. His access to these notorious world leaders is pretty remarkable, let alone his ability to get these typically (and literally) guarded people to speak so openly.
In the book, Erlich offers critical but spin-free portraits of six Middle Eastern leaders sometimes labeled as terrorists: Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, Hamas top leader Khaled Meshal, Israeli politician Geula Cohen, Iranian Revolutionary Guard founder Mohsen Sazargara, Lebanese leader Ayatollah Mohammed Fadlallah, and former Afghan Radio and Television Ministry head Malamo Nazamy.
Erlich, who will give a talk tomorrow evening at UCSD from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m, is likely to stir up debate and controversy with this new book because it offers these often villified leaders a chance to fully explain their positions on key issues and to respond to charges leveled by the United States. Critiquing these responses and synthesizing a broad range of material, Erlich shows that yesterday's terrorist is today's national leader, and that today's freedom fighter may become tomorrow's terrorist.
"Every country uses propaganda to carry out policies the serve their interests, including the United States, and those policies can turn on a dime," says Erlich, who doesn't exactly defend any of his interview subjects but does put them into a clearer context than what you normally see in the American media. For example, he describes Hamas leader Meshal, who rarely gives interviews, as "very charismatic, very normal. He's not at all what you'd expect from how he is typically portrayed by the Western press. He doesn't rant and rave. His is probably the most interesting interview of all that I've done."
Meshal was at a diplomatic function at a hotel in Damascus and Erlich and his friend Peter Coyote, the actor, activist and writer, happened to be at the same function, and they spotted Meshal. Erlich, ever the aggressive journalist, said to Coyote, "Let's go see if he'll give us an interview." They walked up to Meshal and asked if he would give them an interview. To their surprise, he said, "I am always happy to talk to Americans." Three days later, he sat down with Erlich and Coyote for a lengthy talk.
"I profoundly disagree with him (Meshal) and his vision for the Palestinians, but Hamas has changed a lot in the last 20 years," Erlich suggests. "They were legally voted into power, and it's amazing how a group changes when that happens. When you have to 'fill the potholes,' as they say. I don't deny that Hamas has used terrorist tactics. But so has the Israeli government. Dropping a 500-pound on an apartment building to take out out one Hamas leader is a terrorist act."
Erlich adds, "Another thing that you won't read about in American media much is the fact that Hamas has not taken responsibility for any suicide bombings since 2005. The truth is, if we are ever to solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem, we have to deal with Hamas. The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) used terror tactics, too, but they changed and we eventually negotiated with them, as well."
As many people know, during the Reagan Administration the US sent billions in aid to we support Osama bin Laden and the Mujahadeen when they were fighting the Russians in Afghanistan, and, says Erlich, "at that time the Mujahadeen were killing professors and bombing movie theaters, they were classic terrorists then, too, yet they were our allies so we overlooked that. When they became our enemies, we condemned them for the same things they were doing when we supported them."
Erlich, who also interviewed Iranian Revolutionary Guard founder Mohsen Sazargara, says that despite charges that Iran is close to building a nuclear weapon and that they are helping insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan, "Iran is not the threat that many think it is. Iran is certainly a player in the region, and they may be supplying some weaponry and assistance to the insurgents, but the truth is, insurgents are getting most of their weapons from the Afghan military and police. You don't read about that enough in the American press, either."
When things are going bad in the war, Erlich suggests, "the US plays up the issue of Iran, we blame an outside player. But if Iran really wanted to attack Israel, why wouldn't they do it with conventional weapons? They know that even if they had a couple of nukes, and they are far from getting one, they are not going to use any against Israel. It would be disastrous for them. They aren't crazy. They know the US would crush them if they did that. The truth is, Israel isn't so concerned with Iran getting nucer weapons as it is with its support of Hamas and Hezbollah."
Erlich concludes in the book that the global war on terror has diverted public attention from the war's real goal - expanding U.S. influence and interests in the Middle East - and offers policy remedies. His talk tomorrow is sponsored by the UCSD Department of Literature; Middle East Studies Program; the Institute for International, Comparative, Area Studies (IICAS); and IAG of International House. For more information please contact Nancy Daly at or 858-534-4618.
