< "the bottom has fallen out of Arab and Muslim support for the United States.">
Ike comments-<<<When was the last time US enjoyed any Arab or Muslim support? An article written on totally wrong premises and fairytale assumptions! Was it when Khomieni took the diplomats as hostages in late seventies and called US the great Satan or when millions of Muslims were saved from total annihilation in Bosnia and Kosovo! Help of US in humanitarian causes to help Muslims has never been appreciated, ladenism is Sunni extremist manifestation of Shiite revolution unveiled by intolerant forces of medievalism, the theme within the Islamic world is and has been ‘murg bey americka’ the central plank of the article is totally misplaced if read in context of contemporary history, appeasement and looking in other direction caused 911. Unable to reconcile with development of logic, reason and science the nation of Islam has been trying to find what went wrong since fall of Granada!! Marc Lynch needs 101 lessons in the basic fundamentals of this struggle>>>
Taking Arabs Seriously
Marc Lynch
foreignaffairs.org
From Foreign Affairs, September/October 2003
Summary: The Bush administration's tone-deaf approach to the Middle East reflects a dangerous misreading of the nature and sources of Arab public opinion . Independent, transnational media outlets have transformed the region, and the administration needs to engage the new Arab public sphere that has emerged.
Marc Lynch is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Williams College and the author of State Interests and Public Spheres: The International Politics of Jordan's Identity.
RIGHT GOAL, WRONG APPROACH
For the hawks in the Bush administration, one of the keys to understanding the Middle East is Osama bin Laden's observation that people flock to the "strong horse." Bush officials think U.S. problems in the region stem in part from "weak" responses offered by previous administrations to terrorist attacks in the 1980s and 1990s, and they came into office determined to reestablish respect for U.S. power abroad. After nearly two years of aggressive military actions, however, the United States' regional standing has never been lower. As the recent Pew Global Attitudes survey put it, "the bottom has fallen out of Arab and Muslim support for the United States." |
