Dr. James Zogby and Mr. John Zogby Discuss the Impact of the 2008 Elections on the...

Dr. James Zogby and Mr. John Zogby Discuss the Impact of the 2008 Elections on
the Arab-American Relationship
Noted pollster John Zogby, President of Zogby International and Middle East
Expert Dr. James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute (AAI) USA,
offer remarks at the second annual YAL Global Action Forum

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today,
John and James Zogby offered remarks before the Young Arab Leader's Global
Action Forum in New York City on the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election and the
role of Middle East issues in this election. The Young Arab Leaders (YAL) is
the region's foremost development platform for business, public sector and
civil society leaders in the Middle East.
Highly-respected American pollster, John Zogby, offered the crowd a broad
overview of the political landscape. Based on his polling, he identified
trends in the American electorate. Of these broader trends, he cited the fact
that two-thirds of the American people feel that the country is in crisis and
pointed out that many Americans have returned to the political center, away
from extreme liberalism or conservatism. Calling this the anti-institutional
election, he cited Hurricane Katrina as a hidden, yet lingering cause of voter
disillusionment and dissatisfaction with the status quo. Although
dissatisfied with current leadership, he discounted an easy victory for
Democrats, indicating that the election would be hard fought and that all of
the remaining candidates, on both sides, have been damaged.
Dr. James Zogby discussed the role that Middle East issues have played in
the current U.S. election. He indicated that, to his disappointment, the
Middle East has not been part of the political debate during this campaign
cycle. The American people, like people everywhere, are concerned more with
their own lives, so issues such as the economy and health care dominate. He
felt that the Republican candidates, with few exceptions, have adopted the
same foreign policy as President Bush. Dr. Zogby believes that the Democratic
candidates have talked around foreign policy issues as opposed to addressing
them in a substantive way. Dr. Zogby ended his discussion saying that
American needs a new Middle East policy and that this election has the
potential to bring such change.
YAL Forum participants then had the opportunity to ask the two experts
questions.
YAL is an independent pan-Arab organization that aims to create a new
generation of young leaders capable of actively participating in the region's
development process and driving it into a new phase of growth. It is a
network of the region's leaders from the business community, politics,
academia, media, arts, culture and civil society, who are committed to
improving the state of the Arab world.
About Young Arab Leaders:
The Young Arab Leaders is a network of Arab men and women who have seen
the power of action in their own lives, reached unprecedented levels of
success for their age, are positive and can see beyond today's difficulties to
that vision of a prosperous Arab future. These leaders are currently in
prominent positions of responsibility and are destined for extraordinary
achievement, and they believe that their efforts today can have an impact on
their communities, countries and the region as a whole. For more information
please visit: www.yaleaders.org
About Dow:
With annual sales of $54 billion and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a
diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology
with the "Human Element" to constantly improve what is essential to human
progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to
customers in around 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with
the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water,
food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products.
References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its
consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information
about Dow can be found at www.dow.com
For further information, please contact:
Rami Adwan
PR Associate Account Manager
JiWiN
Tel:+9714 361 3 586
Fax:+9714 388 8 001, e-mail: rami.adwan@jiwin.ae

Hani Wassim
The Dow Chemical Company
t +971.4.332.8866
HWassim@dow.com

Upasna Swain / Gayathri Subramaniam
GolinHarris
t +971.4.332.3308 f +971.4.331.6733
uswain@golinharris.com / gsubramaniam@golinharris.com

SOURCE Young Arab Leaders

Rami Adwan, PR Associate Account Manager, JiWiN, +9714-361-3-586, Fax:
+9714-388-8-001, rami.adwan@jiwin.ae; Hani Wassim, The Dow Chemical Company,
+971-4-332-8866, HWassim@dow.com; Upasna Swain, uswain@golinharris.com, or
Gayathri Subramaniam, gsubramaniam@golinharris.com, both of GolinHarris,
+971-4-332-3308, Fax: +971-4-331-6733