Where we see conflict

Today in class, Prof Kalmar mentioned that the opposing relationships between Islamic countries and the West dominates the conflicts that we see in or media today. I find this to be true and it has caused me to mull this fact over quite a bit. Today our news headlines are constantly flooded with news of the situation in Libya. Just a few years back it was the same situation with Iraq. The majority of what we saw as conflict in the news was all about the Iraq war. Even though many of us did not agree with the western involvement in Iraq we were all subjected to viewing it day in and day out. Just a year before Iraq was the involvement in Afghanistan which we were also constantly reminded of in the media. But why is this theme so recurrent. Obviously if a nation is in conflict it will receive media coverage, but why does it seem like these situations in the middle east are the only conflicts we see when other conflicts occur all over the world. I think this is largely related to the western obsession over the middle east as the other. Those who are different from us have been fashioned by the media in a certain way so that we may view there ways to be radical from the just democratic system that we live in. I am not saying that the media has a plot to brainwash north American society, however the incessant focus on these middle eastern conflicts may act as a reminder of how we can be convinced of seeing the world through a particular lens. I do advise that we all must develop our own perceptions of these situations and try to discover how these people are like us as well as different from us rather than just follow the everyday news feed on conflicts with the newest rivals. In this way we may be able to achieve a new understanding of the situation and perhaps can one day aid in finding a diplomatic solution to certain conflicts.