As the eyes of the world focus on America in November to see who will become the next president of the world's only remaining superpower, Ghada Soliman, class of 1998, has dedicated her new television program to helping Egyptians interpret what they are seeing unfold across the Atlantic and how it may affect them.

Soliman, class of 1998, is a journalist for Nile TV as well as the anchor and producer of international affairs program Hiwar Abr al-Muhit (Dialogue Across the Ocean). In the run-up to US presidential elections, the program analyzes and explains the race for Egyptian audiences.

"It is very important for the Arab media to be interested in the US elections because we need to know what the procedures are for someone to become the US president and because we don't have this kind of election here in the Arab world," Soliman said.

"Most developing countries can't afford such a type of democracy and don't have enough freedom to hold such effective elections," she said. "Most presidents (in the Arab world) are re-elected automatically until they die. In other states the presidency is inherited. There is no democracy here in the Middle East region. We need to learn from the advanced countries and the United States is the most powerful state in the world."

Hiwar Abr al-Muhit is concerned primarily with the politics, economics, and culture of the United States, relating what is happening in America to events in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

"I am always concerned with the new and the different," Soliman said. "This is what inspired me to have this program. … As an anchor or TV journalist you have to know everything happening around you in this small world."

This is not Soliman's first time reporting on the American electoral process. She covered the contest between Al Gore and George W. Bush as a reporter for Nile TV in 2000. She got her opportunity to investigate US democracy up close when she became one of six Egyptians chosen by the US State Department to travel to America to observe election campaigns and meet political figures. The State Department program was part of an effort to help educate Arabs about the American democratic process. As a cooperative venture with Nile News, it facilitated airtime and satellite use, but not financial support.

In the course of several trips to the US in the last few years, Soliman was honored at the White House and chosen to represent Egypt at a ceremony at Ground Zero on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

She now draws on her first-hand experience reporting on US politics to help explain the issues and rules of American elections to her viewers.

"I learnt a lot from covering the US elections, especially when talking about the debates between these candidates," she said. "You learn how these ideologies market themselves and how they make leaders and create credibility even if someone isn't worth it."

One lesson learned from observing US politics Soliman found particularly powerful: the importance and difficulty of establishing credibility in a presidential candidate.

"Although the competition is not all honest, we learn from it the art of propagandizing for a leader," she said. "Everyone creates a set of strategies to become a president. Managing debates and argument is a talent and a technique in itself. When Bush invaded Afghanistan he had credibility and hence the whole world was a supporter. However, he had no credibility in Iraq and that is why the whole thing failed. That is a point Kerry is using against Bush. Building credibility is a major issue in the US elections and it is the thing they work most at."

In the course of her work, Soliman has traveled to Paris, Italy, London, Dubai, Jordan, and the United States in order to report on a wide variety of political issues and attend conferences. She has interviewed high-ranking figures in the US government, like diplomat Christopher Ross and officials in the National Security Administration and Congress.

Before producing and presenting Hiwar Abr al-Muhit, Soliman anchored a program called Yawm fi Hayati (A Day in My Life), which looked into the lives of politicians and ministers, reporting on how they spend an average day. She also presents another program called Al Tab'a Al Ula (First Edition). Among others, she interviewed Sameh Fahmy, minister of petrol, and the renowned scientist Dr. Mustafa Tolba.

Soliman has always been interested in international affairs and politics. As a student at AUC, she took a political studies course in which students discussed topics such as censorship of the media and current events. But it was her hard work and innovation that put Soliman on the path to success, she says.

"You don't become a famous TV journalist according to how you dress or look," Soliman said. "Instead you gain your fame by having a good approach and through the topics you deal with on the program or show you are hosting."

Soliman credits her education at the Adham Center for her independence and confidence as a journalist.

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-Usama Najeeb