President's Speech

At a time of lethal sectarian and ideological conflict in the Arab world, even some of the region’s finest scholars feel compelled to pick a side — and once they have, the tone and substance of their work becomes politically and emotionally inflected. In our view, that doesn’t make it any less valuable. Rather than attempt to steer clear of partisan scholarship, Al-Mesbar Center acknowledges and engages it: On any given topic, we publish studies from a wide range of viewpoints, and strive to achieve a larger balance by setting them down side by side in a single volume. At the same time, we are also proud to nurture scholarship that rises high above the fray, approaching the most heated subjects as close to dispassionately as any vested party can. Viewed together, the diverse studies we support and panel discussions we host are both a rare source of information and analysis and an intellectual barometer of Arab politics today.

One might say, in other words, that as head of Al-Mesbar Center, I lead a band of virtuosos who don’t always get along. The “conducting” techniques I use have been honed by the ongoing experience of hosting a talk show called “Spotlights” [“Idha’at] seen by 90 million people weekly on the Al-Arabiya TV news network. On “Spotlights,” the discussion is uptempo and improvisational; at the Center, we slow down the pace and score every note. Via both of these platforms, I strive to amplify the voices of Arabs seldom heard from who are devoted to the cause of social progress — as well as challenge hardened ideologues to defend their views in front of a tough audience.

Al-Mesbar Center is continuously growing its community of partners and expanding the purview of its research, and this new English-language Web site is part of that effort. Every faith and nationality, with no exceptions near or far, is welcome to join us in the work we do. If in browsing our site you like what you see, please drop us a line — and more importantly, if you think we’re missing something, consider yourself responsible for helping us fill it in.

— Turki Al-Dakhil