week 4 blog pictureThe image displayed in this post is by Walid Taher from the Al-Shorouk newspaper in Egypt. This image reflects the current issue in Egypt about media censorship.Currently the government in Egypt has intervened in the media and making an alliance with newspapers. This alliance entails that the newspapers will not print anything that undermines the state. This cartoon shows this new alliance and how the people know that what the media is telling them is just a murky twist of the truth, if any truth at all. This is restricting the people from free speech, a value that to most modern societies believe is essential. With Western pressures to establish democracy in the Middle East, this image is one of many that portray how even Egyptians want freedom of speech and are rebelling against this radical approach of trying to suppress the people of free speech. From this, I think that the different perspectives on globalization would have similar views on the need for free speech. Without it, there would not be a strong state, market, diplomacy, self-reliance/regional cooperation, or diversity. I am surprised that even this cartoon is allowed to be publish in lieu of the censorship in the country, but brings a perspective to how censorship is being monitored by the government.  The second article posted in Digo, is an interview of Omar Khouri, a prominent cartoonist is the Middle East. Khouri talks about how he first got into art and his influences. He first talks about how he did not want to be involved in politics but later realized how politics were all around him, and by not choosing to be involved was political. Throughout the interview, you can establish his initial perspectives as a young artist and how the evolved over time. From a more cosmopolitan approaches of network formation and feelings of having nothing to do with government to a more multilateral perspective. He talks a lot of how he tries to bring in different viewpoints into his works, and how they do not represent just one idea, a sort of political liberal approach with the idea of bringing everyone to the table. I find this very similar to how artists change their focus and how our thoughts and ideas about the world are evolving as we become more aware about different cultures and perspectives.

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