Twelve Angry Lebanese

A new interpretation of the American classic of '12 Angry Men' has been staged in the Roumieh Maximum Security Prison in Lebanon.  Directed by Zeina Daccache, the production featured 45 inmates of the prison and their audience were the very representatives of the government that accused them.  These spectators sat and listened while the actors questioned the very system that put them behind bars.   Read our own Eyad Houssami's report on the production here.

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Negative Views Of U.S. Still Strong in Arab World

A new survey, conducted by the University of Maryland and Zogby International, finds that 8 out of 10 Arabs have unfavorable views of the United States. Polling 4000 respondents living in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, 80% said their opinions were based on the policies of the U.S. government, not by American values or culture. The poll also looked at some public diplomacy efforts and found that viewership of the U.S.-sponsored Al Hurra TV service remains at 2%, while Al Jazeera receives 53% of Arab audiences.