MBN’s Fight

Dear Colleagues,

The U.S. has dropped sanctions on Syria. Gulf States are building soft power. Israel feels sidelined. Bibi may bomb Iran. The Middle East refuses to stay out of the news.

It’s astonishing that DOGE is determined to silence America’s voice in the region. Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) had become an influential digital media company reaching tens of millions of people in 22 countries — for an annual cost tallying just a smidge more than just one of Elon Musk’s private aircrafts (Musk owns a $70 million Gulfstream G650ER, a Dassault Falcon 900B, a  Gulfstream G550, and has recently ordered a Gulfstream G700).

None of what’s been happening with MBN is America at its best. Islamic terrorists and Chinese Communists rejoice — and keep licking their chops.

We’re pushing for Washington to focus on the expansion of Beijing’s lavishly funded media footprint in our region. What will it mean when Chinese state-owned outlets become a key source of news for large segments of the Arab world? It’s unknown exactly how much China spends on its Middle East media operations, but it’s part of a global, multi-billion dollar enterprise.

This, while America retreats from the war of ideas and the battle over narrative, writes The Economist. Is this really what the U.S. wants in an age of surging global disinformation?

We want to restore MBN operations. Alas, slow roll, evasion, and obstruction have become the way for our parent agency, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). We’re fighting in the courts. At present, we’re pressing hard for funds due from USAGM since May 1.

There’s still no indication that DOGE aide Kari Lake understands what we do; or cares one iota about the employees we’ve been forced to lay off, 90 percent to date. It’s all baffling, disappointing, and disturbing. Thanks to Ms. Lake, American reputation and credibility take new hits every day.

Your ongoing work, in these circumstances and in severely curtailed form, is truly remarkable.

Andres Ilves’s interview with Tom Gross on Israel and Iran was just posted. Henry Sokolski on Iran’s nuclear program and our new proliferation problem is coming soon. Henry insists we contemplate an Iranian withdrawal from the NPT — the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons — a repeat of the 2003 North Korean withdrawal.

Read our colleague Randa Jebai on the shape of the next Iran. You can sign up for MBN Insider here. There’s rich material in our newsletter on Iraqi militia, Houthi terror, Hezbollah smuggling — and the murder of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, DC. Joe Kawly’s talk show The Diplomat starts this week.

You won’t get these voices and viewpoints from Qatari-funded Al-Jazeera — or through Chinese state-operated media. We recently hosted former Israeli national security adviser Eyal Haluta for an MBN roundtable at the National Press Club (at my expense). Senator Ted Cruz just spoke to a Washington audience on China’s growing dominance in the Middle East. We’re inviting Senator Cruz for an MBN interview to be translated for our Arabic speaking audiences across the Middle East and North Africa.

*****

We continue to press the case for MBN and U.S.-funded international media on Capitol Hill. I host another meeting this week with stakeholders, Congressional staff, and leadership from Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to discuss current challenges and the way ahead.

It’s been heartening to see watchdog groups like CAMERA (the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis) and the Committee to Protect Journalists rally in support of MBN.

“We cannot afford to yield the Middle Eastern media space to those who want to destroy us, recruit converts to their cause, and attack the American values that offer a beacon of hope for a more stable and secure region,” MBN board chair Ryan Crocker writes in the National Interest. Ryan is a six-time ambassador and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

There is simply no basis for USAGM to withhold the funds that Congress has directed USAGM to disburse to MBN, RFA, and RFE/RL. There’s absolutely no reason for Ms. Lake’s radio silence from the get-go, for the sniping in social media, and decision making shrouded in secrecy.

We continue to make abundantly clear to USAGM as well: We’d welcome a conversation about streamlined operations, greater efficiencies, and enhanced impact. We favor transparency and accountability. American taxpayers deserve this. If only we had a conversation partner on the other side of the table.

Best, Jeff