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Photos by Zakaria Rakha The power of the question aghida Dergham The Courage to Come I interviewed eight heads of state HOME and foreign ministers in eight days, transcribed the interviews and wrote the stories. I slept about two hours a nternational correspondent returns to Beirut and tells it like it is! night, but for 14 days, they couldn’t stop I frequently saying, “And you can quote publishing my Belgrade stories on me on that.” page 1. It was a big splash. Feisty Raghida Dergham, a respected Dergham was born and grew up in Here’s what she had to say. But I was armed with experience, journalist and political analyst, is Lebanon, then moved to the United She’s been twice on Arabian Business’ Dergham has also been a frequent contacts, credibility and courage. back in Lebanon after an impressive States at 17, where she studied at the list of the 100 Most Powerful Arab commentator on CNN, Al Arabiya, On being a journalist That is why my debut in Al-Hayat international career. HOME interviewed State University of New York. Her Women in 2011 and 2016, and she and MTV. She is a popular speaker It is in your blood. A journalist is was remarkable. No other journalist Dergham in her 10th floor high-rise exceptional career as a journalist began was named "Arab Woman of the Year" at leading universities, including naturally curious. You’ll die of curiosity. worldwide had ever done that. overlooking Beirut’s harbor – modern, in Boston with a bilingual weekly for her achievements in journalism Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and And if you are not curious, you’re a lousy in black and white with a zebra-skin rug radio program named Haneen, which by London Arabia in 2017. In 2018, Georgetown. Her analyses and opinions journalist. Sometimes we get our major scoops by and provocative paintings. One painting translates as “nostalgia.” she was named one of the 50 Most have appeared in The New York Times, pure accident as I did when I revealed features a man’s head with his mouth Influential Women in the Arab World. The Washington Post, The Los Angeles The most important tool a journalist the secret talks between Palestinian and taped shut. Another is an abstract In 1976, she moved to New York to Times, Newsweek, Huffington Post, has is the right to ask, the power of the Israeli officials. Someone well connected male figure – holding up his finger the become a foreign correspondent and She served as a member of the Arab News, Al Arabiya and and she question. When do you dare to ask? was visiting me and mentioned way dogmatic leaders do when they worked for several media companies, International Media Council of the is currently a columnist with The You dare when you have knowledge. If something about the Oslo talks. I said, pontificate. A woman’s foot is putting a including An-Nahar International World Economic Forum, which includes National. She is always able to offer you don’t have knowledge, you don’t “Oslo?” I didn’t know about it before, cigarette in his mouth, “to shut him up,” then Al-Hawadeth as chief U.S. 100 of the most respected media figures another perspective, no matter on which dare take the question forward and do but I had the scoop 24 hours ahead of she said. correspondent from 1981 to 1989 when globally, and she is an advisory board side of the Atlantic she finds herself. the follow up. If you haven’t done your others. she joined the London-based Al-Hayat member on International Women’s homework, you don’t have the basis to Like her flat, Dergham is welcoming, as a senior diplomatic correspondent, Media Foundation having served for 10 In a wide-ranging interview that do the necessary confrontation. After the Iranian revolution, I but not afraid to challenge the status columnist and the New York bureau years as a member of the board. touched on her career, return to interviewed President Bani Sader and I quo. chief for almost three decades. Dergham Lebanon, short-lived run for parliament, On her career did the only interview ever with the first is also the founder and executive A familiar face on television as a family, friends, dreams and memories, I have been so lucky in my career. In lady of Iran. This was a scoop because Raghida Dergham at a glance chairman of the Beirut Institute, an political analyst for NBC and MSNBC in Dergham openly shared her experiences 1989, I joined Al-Hayat and covered there was never another interview with A third-generation Lebanese-American, esteemed international think tank for the United States and LBC in Lebanon, and sometimes controversial opinions, the Belgrade Nonaligned Summit. any other first lady of Iran. the Arab region. 22 Magazine - BEAUTY & FASHION Magazine - BEAUTY & FASHION 23 Amongst the important interviews Here they assume America is On the Beirut Institute I have conducted were Palestinian responsible for everything that happens. I am very proud to be a Lebanese Presidents Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud This is not totally imagined but it’s woman who founded an indigenous Abbas, French President Giscard exaggerated big time. The feeling is think tank for the Arab region that has D’Estaing, Hosni Mubarak, King that you can’t rely on America as a now become a respected international Hussain and King Abdullah, Ferdinand partner because there is no trust in the brand. It is exciting for me that I have Marcos, George Bush, Boris Yeltsin and durability of American partnerships. built an influential and effective policy many more world leaders. I interviewed But the geopolitical alliances are not institute that is innovative, daring, and Ramzi Yousef, the man convicted of stable; they always change according to forward-looking. bombing the World Trade Center in interests. 1993. Everyone wanted that interview, I started the Beirut Institute as a but no one ever got it. I was the only one On the United Nations place for convening minds to think who sat down with him in prison face to One of the reasons I’m disappointed collectively and find constructive face, one on one. in the United Nations and want to solutions to problems in the region. I leave that beat is the way it acted on felt many, particularly the youth, were I decided to become a political analyst Syria. They sat on a genocide. I’m not so disengaged. I decided there must be a and columnist because I didn’t want to naïve to think that politics are clean way to instill enthusiasm; they can’t just just do interviews. I think people need and transparent, but this is beyond live with frustration and submission. news in perspective. Coming back here, acceptable. I realize how much people want the It’s now in its eighth year – and has regional and international perspective. On Al-Hayat become a renowned think tank for This is something I can provide. Al-Hayat was very dear to me having the Arab region with a global reach. I given it 28 years of my life. I grew up consider it an incubator of ideas that On her courage with it and was part of the core who become tangible recommendations It is easier for them I’m emboldened because I’m clean and built it. So it saddens me deeply that that will be delivered to policy makers to have a men’s club. fair, because I’m a true journalist. It’s such a legacy newspaper is shredded by around the world. my job to hold their feet to the fire. If I short-sighted decisions. don’t, I’m a socialite. I’m not interested On returning to Lebanon in becoming a socialite. Unfortunately, it has closed its offices I am reinventing myself. As my years in in London, Beirut and other capitals. New York as the bureau chief of Al- I refuse to be intimidated. I’ve received They are free to do what they want to Hayat have come to an end, I thought letter bombs, been threatened with do. But I am absolutely furious they this would be a possibility for another military court in Lebanon. I refused to had not been fair to people they have let beginning closer to Lebanon. appear because I will not stand any such go without respecting their minimum accusations; the person who brought rights. I wanted to come back to Beirut and them had to retract them. It hasn’t been give from the experiences I have had. easy to receive threats. On journalism today The international element enriches If you don’t have good journalists my work as a political analyst and On being an international to provide good content, then you hopefully enriches the vision of young correspondent are creating a medium of distrust. It people when they discuss politics and I once fancied myself as the interpreter doesn’t matter if it’s in a newspaper or development. between the Middle East and the United magazine, in our hands or online, it States but I think it is a lost cause. There doesn’t work without good journalists I still have my apartment in New York, is a total disconnect. America has a and the basic ethics of good journalism so I have not made the full move yet. I push-button mentality. As soon as an credibility are a hard thing to earn and it don’t know if I will. Ideally, I would like issue is off the screen, it is out of the can only be earned, not bestowed.

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