American Idol After Iraq Competing for Hearts and Minds in the Global Media Age

This dazzling little book explores the role of US media in foreign policy, not only at the present moment, but with an eye to the future. Written by a veteran Hollywood film executive and an internationally known columnist in foreign affairs Explains how American movies, TV shows, and pop music provide the images of America to the rest of the world, and the rest of the world to Americans Includes discussions of the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed Danish daily newspapers, Tibetan monks censored out of Chinese TV news reports only to show up on You Tube, and the Vatican's assault on the Da Vinci Code movie Argues that Hollywood is a key player in the 'deep coalition' required to support a 'smart power' foreign policy and build a global cultural infrastructure that will make the world safe for interdependence

Nathan Gardels is the editor of National Perspectives Quarterly. He has written widely for many publications, both nationally and internationally, including The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Guardian, Corriere della Sera, El Pais, Le Figaro, and the New York Review of Books.

Mike Medavoy is the chairman and co-founder of Phoenix Pictures. Throughout his career he has been involved in the creation of countless films, including sixteen nominated for Best Picture Academy Awards, and seven winners.