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Powergamz1 -> RE: Why Arabs Don't Like the U.S. (7/25/2013 9:58:42 AM)
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As mentioned the Dulles brothers did their dirty work around the globe, and were still just a pale imitation of the Brits, the Belgians, Germans, and so forth.
And even now, when the Chinese are sending their troops around the world in one guise or another, the blame game leans most heavily on one segment of the past.
In that there is something unpleasant but worth examining.
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ORIGINAL: Zonie63
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ORIGINAL: tweakabelle
There are plenty of non-Arab and/or non-Muslim countries (eg. Central and South America) where the USA is also on the nose. No one claims that the reasons for this are theological or religious. Most would agree that the cause(s) are mainly political and economic. So why are Arabs a special case? Why are the obvious political/economic commonalities ignored?
I think that in comparing the two situations, it seems that U.S. policy has earned the wrath of a lot of people from many different countries. The response from each of these countries to the same policies might be different, depending on the cultures and policies of individual nations.
Perhaps one major difference is that Latin America is often considered culturally "Western" due to the strong influence of Spain, Portugal, and the Catholic Church - also part of the West. Our rivalries with Latin America are rooted in the old rivalries between colonial powers over possession of this continent. As our power grew and our relationship with our southern neighbors became more abusive and exploitative, the Latin Americans clearly had sufficient cause to be resentful, mistrusting, and sometimes even hateful towards the North (Anglo) Americans.
But it's always had a slightly different flavor to it. For one thing, they don't say "Death to America" because they consider themselves Americans, as in residents of the American continent. While their resentment and enmity towards the U.S. may be for righteous, justifiable reasons, it doesn't seem to carry the same level of fanaticism and total hatred of the collective whole that seems to come from some parts of the Middle East. Also, comparing the cultural differences between the U.S. and Latin America, as opposed to the differences between the U.S. and the Muslim world, one might be able to note greater cultural congruity and commonality between the U.S. and Latin America that seems almost completely absent between the U.S. and the Muslim world.
It doesn't mean the U.S. and Latin America are the same (far from it), but there still seems to be enough commonality to be able to form a rapprochement and a friendly, mutually-beneficial relationship. I don't think we have that yet, and it will take a great deal of work on our part to make it happen. Many North Americans will have to change their perceptions of the outside world and demand a government that acts more responsibly and reasonably in world affairs; it'll be an uphill battle, but I think it's possible.
I think the U.S. has a much better chance of patching things up with Latin America than with any other region on Earth. For our own national survival, I consider it to be a necessity that we work to do that. We also have to patch things up with East Asia as well, but I think that's doable, too. Similarly, we can still peacefully coexist and agree to disagree with Russia and China.
But the Muslim world seems to be the bigger question mark at this point. They just seem to lash out at random targets without any rhyme or reason. They don't seem to have any coherent set of goals or objectives. How can one negotiate with that? How can we sit down with them and say "Okay, tell us what you want" when either they don't know what they want or demand something we cannot provide? We can't unspill the milk, we can't undo the creation of Israel or anything else that's in the past.
But there may be some things that we can do to try to patch things up and move forward into a productive, friendly, and mutually-beneficial relationship. I'm just wondering what those things might be. I'm not prepared to subscribe to the notion that they're all a bunch of crazed religious zealots who won't be happy until the entire world is Muslim. Maybe there are some like that, and I wouldn't deny that they do represent a true threat to global security and stability.
But I suppose the million dollar question is whether the West can make key concessions to appease the moderates so as to undermine popular support for the more dangerous fanatics among them. As you mention, US support of Israel is a significant stumbling block, so (just as one example) if the U.S. pressured Israel to withdraw to their pre-1967 boundaries, would that truly satisfy the Muslims in the region? Israel won't do it because they don't trust the Muslims; they think it would just encourage more attacks on Israel. If it truly meant that there could be a lasting peace and a more friendly relationship between the U.S. and the Arab/Muslim nations of the Middle East, then I would be all for it, but I can also see why many would be hesitant and wary. Many more just aren't convinced that it would work.
It's somewhat trouble to ponder the notion that we may have gone past the point of no return, that there may be no solution here.
From the U.S. side, I'm not even sure what our objectives are in the Middle East. That's the other side of it, since our policies are somewhat incoherent and inconsistent around the world. No doubt that they think that we're somewhat crazy, too. It's not just a matter of what will satisfy the Arabs, but also a question of what will satisfy the Americans? And we don't know either. I can sense that some Americans and Europeans don't like the Arabs, and there may not be anything that can reverse that. We have our share of fanatics from our side that might try to stir the pot. When the government wants to invade a country, it really doesn't take that much to get certain elements of the population worked up into a war fever. Not everyone, of course, but enough to make the difference between war and peace. (Of course, even those who favor peace and protest against war seem to do so in an incoherent and uncoordinated fashion that they don't seem to make much of a dent in overall U.S. policy.)
So, in short, it's hard to figure a solution to this whole mess. To steal a line from Full Metal Jacket, it seems like it's one big shit sandwich and we're all going to have to take a bite.
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