They don't want to like us. Any good we do is outweighed by the bad.
Can you be specific? Other than supporting Israel against Palestinian terrorism, what, exactly, have we done against the Arabs?
First, Britain was a colonial power that from time to time was pretty heavy handed; to whit, agreeing to turn over all of Palestine to Israel back in the 1920s without considering the issues of the Palestinians. After WW II, Britain handed the Palestinian mess over to the UN and the US.
Through a very favorable aid package that should have been reduced long time ago, the US has helped turn Israel into THE regional superpower, the implications of which to the Arab world should never be underestimated.
At the same time we have meddled in ME affairs like the Iraqi Iranian war and we have supported autocratic regimes that have treated their people brutally from time to time.
Wrongly or rightly, we look to be only interested in one thing.......oil and we don't care who we screw to get it.
Qatar is well into a conversion to a pro-American democracy. The Iranian "street" wants democracy and will likely head that direction once we have Iraq handled. The Saudis want the US out of their land and have suggested they will implement more "democratic-like" processes. Jordan is exceptionally pro-American (in spite of the current anger on the street because of misinformation).
I don't want to be too dark but I don't see a lot of progress here. Qatar is a small place, smaller than Kuwait, and subject to change. S. Arabia........I don't trust what they say and wouldn't count on their 'progress'.
I think the one real positive is the potential of Iran. I wish Mani would post here more........he could fill us in on how definitive the progress has been.
These are all exceptionally positive signs. In fact, the biggest problem we have is the growing beligerance of the Syrians, once Saddam is out.
It seems to me we are doing far more wrong than good to engender the kind of contempt we do.
I don't think the Muslims see it the same way you do.
I think the mistake you make is to assume that they will hate us more for fighting a war on their turf. If we get rid of Saddam and clear out in a reasonable time, it is clear the region will deeply appreciate our actions.
It would seem that they should see it that way but right now at least, we are being portrayed as a big bully. |
