This is from a different post of mine. I figured you'd be interested in the bold section.
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To begin with, the Iranians you talk with is not a proper sampling population. But even so, you are not dead wrong about the Iranian views, but certainly about their reactions to US policies. And this is not limited to Iran. It is the same with most of the middle east. What many people don't seem to understand is twofold: first, most middle easterners (of any nationality) are sick and tired of American "help" and solutions for them. They prefer to be left alone to come up with their own solutions. Second, America is too greedy; it is not satisfied to replace an anti-American regime with a neutral one. The temptation is just too great that while we're at it, why don't we go all the way and put a yes-man in place.
To demonstrate how policy makers misread the people, not only Iraqis have not greeted US troops with kiss and roses, CNN just reported that thousands of Iraqi X-pats who left Jordan for Iraq were previously believed to be going there to fight Saddam but now there are reports that they are fighting the "liberation" troops.
They don't want our help. They want to do it on their own. Why is it so hard to understand?
Sun Tzu
PS there is an old Iraqi saying, "My brother and I get together against our cousin. My brother, my cousin, and I, unite against the strangers". |
