"In the wake of controversy triggered by "Super Star" and "Star Academy", some observers have hailed reality television as a harbinger of democracy in the Arab world." "Star Academy" in Lebanon is strikingly similar to "American Idol" mixed with "The Real World". "Star Academy" began in 2003 in the Arab world. "Reality television entered Arab public discourse in the last five years at a time of significant turmoil in the region: escalating violence in Iraq, contested elections in Egypt, the struggle for women's political rights in Kuwait, political assassinations in Lebanon, and the protracted Arab–Israeli conflict. This geo-political crisis environment that currently frames Arab politics and Arab–Western relations is the backdrop to the controversy surrounding the social and political impact of Arab reality television, which assumes religious, cultural or moral manifestations."