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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: maceng2 who wrote (17335)	1/27/2002 1:23:44 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

PB, Yes, the Iraqi sanctions have clearly failed and Saddam has turned them into a propaganda victory. IMO we are not going to win any friends in the Mideast right now no matter what we do. Most of Arabs are wallowing in anger and self-pity, consumed with the "injustices" that others have done to them. I don't think we can fix this because it can't be fixed until their political and economic systems become more functional. As evidence for this argument, let me present Tunisia and Bahrain, the two Arab countries with the most functional economies and most liberal political systems. You have much less of this free-floating anger there, and consequently much more willingness to deal in compromises on Israel and other matters. However, I believe the US is also suffering in the Mideast due to the contempt we have earned with our weak behavior in the past 10 years. It is the mixture of anger and contempt that is fueling the current volatility. So I see the first necessity to be re-acquiring respect in the region. You do that by clearly identifying your friends and your enemies, and helping your friends and hurting your enemies. You do not do it by ignoring so-called friends while they behave as enemies, nor by squeezing friendly states for concessions on behalf of those who are your declared enemies. I have become convinced that this is how our behavior is really perceived in the Arab world, and it has earned us only contempt. So in sum: respect first, insist on modernization later. This is why I believe we will be going into Iraq this year.