IPS sees reporting to and from the Middle East as one key contribution to bridging the divide between media organisations perceived as "Western" and those perceived as "Arab". In this respect, IPS is strongly committed to helping reverse the current negative trend that is leading to increased mutual mistrust and fear between the "West" and Arab and Muslim countries.
While planning to set up its Middle East Regional Centre, IPS has restructured its service in Arabic language, which features stories selected from the IPS news service. from all regions and currently reaches around 2,500 suscribers in the Arab countries. Since it was re-launched, in January 2007, the IPS Arabic service has achieved a notable penetration in Arab media. An average of 60 publications per month have been tracked, in media representing a wide variety of political trends, usually critical of the current lack of democratic processes. In addition to a huge number of regional media and civil society publications, key regular users include:
Lebanon: Assafir daily.
Syria: Al Thawra, Al Jaml, Kassioun (Syrian Communists), Ittihad (Syrian Socialists), Syria Business, Assyrians, etc.
Iran: Iran Broadcasting Corp, Arabic service and "Magiran".
Iraq: Dar Babel, Attariq, Shabab Al Iraq, Akhbar, Ankawa, Iraqi independent online, Iraq for All news agency, Buthra news agency, Yanabee Al Iraq, and publications (based mainly in the US and the UK). Kurdistan-Iraq: Voice of Kurdistan (official news agency), Kurd Academics.
Algeria: Algerian State Radio and Television Corp.
Egypt: Daily Al Badeel, Daily Al Watan, Egyptian Greens, Nasserists Party publications, Labour Party publications.
Morocco, Attajdid, Al Alam, Maghribouna, etc.
Mauritania: Al Mashed, Arab and World Political Scenario, Mauritania News, independent news agency.
United Arab Emirates, Al Alam, Emirates Today, Emirates Economy Forum.
Saudi Arabia, Hewarat for Development, KS University, Seha-Ministry of Environment, several online publications.
The Islamic News Agency
Al-Jazeera Women’s E-News, Syrian Women Observatory, Women Gate, AMAN, Arab Women and Political Participation.
Arab Sky.
Secular Arab Network, Ahewar, ArabNews
ICAWS, International Centre for American and Western Studies
In addition to the Arabic service, IPS has an established reporting network in Arab and other Middle Eastern countries. So far, coveragecomes mostly from Iraq, Egypt and Iran, with inputs from Morocco, Lebanon, Dubai, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
IPS is planning to expand operations in the Middle East and North Africa through the establishment of a Regional Centre. The Centre will allow IPS to gain a stronger presence, increase coverage in conflict and reconstruction areas and foster stronger cooperation with local media and organisations. The eventual goal is to source news in Arabic. This plan is in keeping with the existing decentralised and autonomous IPS regional structure.
- Moreover, IPS is engaged in forging partnerships and other forms of cooperation with local media outlets, such as the Al Jazeera network (with which IPS has reached a Partnership Agreement), and local civil society organisations. A special focus has been put on NGO Regional Networks such as Al-Shabaka, The Arab Youth Office, Arab NGO Network for Development, and The Arab Network for Environment and Development, among others.
