“We Need a Generation of Leaders that Sees a World Full of Possible Allies rather than Adversaries”

Josh Rushing is an award-winning journalist, former Marine officer, documentary movie star, author, blogger and leading voice in international affairs.

A former US Marine captain with 15 years of service, Rushing served as a spokesperson at Central Command in Doha, Qatar, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unbeknownst to him, an independent film, Control Room, captured his efforts to communicate the American message on Al Jazeera. The documentary debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, enjoyed theatrical release across the world and continues to affect audiences on DVD.

Rushing currently co-hosts Fault Lines, Al Jazeera English's flagship current affairs program about the Americas.

As an international correspondent, Rushing has hosted and produced programs all over the world – from war-torn Iraq to drug-fueled Colombia to bomb-laden Laos.  His coverage in 2009 tackled issues such as the criminalization of the mentally ill in America by reporting from one of the nation's largest psychiatric units, the Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, and the rise of dominionist Christians in the US military. Multiple trips to Afghanistan saw him embedded with US Marines in the Helmand Providence on the eve of Afghanistan's historic national elections and later in the Wardak Providence to challenge reports that the Taliban's control had reached the “Gates of Kabul.” Rushing continues to provide unique coverage of the war in Iraq from the perspective of having been there from the beginning in 2003 as a Marine to recently returning from his sixth trip in which he went to cover an election, but instead found a civil war brewing.

Rushing released his first book in 2007, Mission Al Jazeera: Build a Bridge, Seek the Truth, Change the World. The book blends his personal story with a unique behind-the-scenes look into the controversial Al Jazeera broadcast networks. He also blogs for The Huffington Post and Al Jazeera English Blogs.

Journalism schools across the world use Control Room and Mission Al Jazeera as key curricula in opening students minds about the power of international journalism.  Every major news outlet has covered Rushing's career: The Today Show, Anderson Cooper 360, The O'Reilly Factor, NPR's “Fresh Air” and “All Things Considered,” Fast Company magazine (cover), GQ, The Los Angeles Times (front page), USA Today (front page), The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and countless more.