The United States Is "Aggressive, Morally
Decadent and Racist"
SPIEGEL ONLINE
By Charles Hawley in Berlin
March 9, 2005
United States policy in the Middle East is leading to a
blooming of democracy. Right? While democracy does seem to be
taking its first baby steps in the region, a new survey indicates
that most in the Middle East are extremely distrustful of the US
-- but the basis of that thinking isn't what you think it is.
The shift in European media coverage of the Middle East has
been lightening quick. Within the space of nine short weeks from
early January to the beginning of March, the image of a region
rapidly sliding into a morass of chaos and violence has
whiplashed to a storybook tale of an Arab world witnessing the
birth of democracy. The Palestinians went to the polls in early
January, the Iraqis in late January, the protests in Lebanon --
optimistically dubbed the Cedar Revolution by the US State
Department -- appear to be leveraging the Syrian occupiers out of
the country and even Saudi Arabia held regional elections
recently. United States President George W. Bush claimed on
Tuesday that "the thaw has begun" in the Middle East.
In other words, the subtext of the last few weeks seems to be,
"maybe the Americans were right." Maybe, despite the
well-documented difficulties the US had in justifying its
invasion of Iraq, democracy can indeed be exported at the tip of
a sword. Indeed, we're getting very early hints that the Cold War
of cultures between the West and Islam could meet the fate of the
first Cold War -- with a victory for Western values, culture and
democracy.
In Eastern Europe, though, the end of the Cold War resulted in
a dozen countries embracing democracy and the values of the West.
But that, suggests a new study on Middle Eastern public opinion
released by the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of
Jordan in February, is not likely to happen this time. The
countries and bodies surveyed -- Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria
and the Palestinian Authority -- suggest that the so-called "Arab
Street" doesn't see the existence of an over-arching conflict of
values between the West and the Middle East at all. Rather, the
tensions are seen almost completely as a result of United States
and British foreign policies in the region.
Viewing the US as aggressive and racist
The survey, which specifically concentrated on attitudes
toward the US, the United Kingdom and France, painted a bleak
picture. The words most associated with the US and the UK were
"racist," "aggressive," "morally decadent" and "imperialistic"
among other uncomplimentary concepts. France was less harshly
judged. It's not all bad, however. Western societies are seen as
bastions of liberalism, individual liberty and technical
progress, yet they are plagued by social problems. The countries
surveyed see themselves as having a stronger adherence to
tradition and to family.
It is in the area of foreign policy, however, where most of
the disgust with Western countries seems to lie -- and where it
becomes apparent that the Middle East has a much more nuanced
view of the West than many occidental commentators would have one
believe. Indeed, anger is directed squarely toward the US (a
country that many feel is steered by a "Zionist lobby") and the
UK. Over 70 percent in the countries surveyed, with the exception
of Lebanon, felt that the US and the UK attempt to dominate
countries through the offer of foreign aid and fewer than two in
10 Egyptians, Syrians and Palestinians see the US as supporting
democracy in the region. The US was also seen as a major violator
of human rights. France, on the other hand, a country which
steered clear of the Iraq war and which is lauded for its
respectful dealings with the Middle East, came out smelling like
roses.
Many in the Middle East feel things would be a lot better if
the Americans would just leave them alone. "Thus," write the
authors of the study, "while the survey reflected the growing
tensions between the Arab world and the West, it does not support
the caricature of an Arab public that fully and uniformly rejects
the West."
The demographic time bomb
But regional attitudes toward the US and the UK make it clear
that President Bush's thaw is likely to be more akin an
unexpected warm day in late December than the blooming of tulips
at the beginning of March. American and British policy in Iraq
and US policy in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are almost
universally rejected. Worse, distrust of America is even higher
among Middle Eastern youth. Only 15 to 20 percent of people
between the ages of 16 and 24 hold favorable attitudes toward
America. Ominously, fully 50 percent of the population in the
region is under the age of 25 and it is getting even younger.
Such a demographic time bomb, the study concludes, means that
"positive attitudes toward the US and the UK will continue to
plummet unless major changes in their foreign policies are
implemented."
The results of this highly negative view of the US and the UK
can also be seen in the methods many in the Middle East feel are
necessary to combat Western aggression in the region. Terrorism,
a concept many in Europe and the United States have come to
associate almost exclusively with Islamic countries, is defined
much differently in the countries surveyed. Over 85 percent of
the population in four of the five countries surveyed felt that
the war against Iraq was an act of terrorism (the exception being
Lebanon where 64 percent felt that way). Furthermore, nine out of
10 of those surveyed believed that Israel's killing of
Palestinian citizens constituted terror. Hamas and Hezbollah, on
the other hand, are viewed as valid resistance organizations.
Even al-Qaida is seen by Jordanians and Palestinians as
legitimate.
What clash of civilizations?
The United States war against Iraq remains extremely unpopular
in the Middle East. Surprisingly, while many in the West are fed
on a steady diet of coverage that plays up "the West versus
Islam," those in the Middle East do not see the current conflicts
as being driven by a Muslim-Christian divide. In fact, most feel
the US places little value on religion. The survey also found a
more nuanced self-image of Muslim in the Middle East than is
often protrayed in the West. While most said they supported
Sharia law as a source for legislation, only a tiny minority said
they wanted a Taliban-like interpretation of the religious
code.
So is the apparent trend toward democracy in the Middle East
likely to continue? That remains to be seen. What is clear,
however, is that the less visible the Americans are in the region
the better.
"The current conflict," the study concludes, "is based in
deep-seated frustration with Western, and particularly American,
foreign policies, and a growing distrust of America's underlying
regional objectives."
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