Thursday, December 07, 2006
Misery loves company: Arabs rejoice in America's failure
Arab leaders and intellectuals are ecstatic that the Iraq Study Group has declared that America has failed in Iraq. Of course, most of these people needed America to fail, because success would have reminded the world of their own collective cultural, political, economic, social, and civic failures. Nevertheless, it is astonishing that the Western press has been unable to find any leading Arab who is willing to say that it is a shame that apparently only a fascist totalitarian can govern Iraq. Is that because there aren't any such people, or is it that the press just doesn't want to give them a voice?
18 Comments:
By 
allen, at
Thu Dec 07, 03:15:00 PM:
sirius_sir,
This would be Egypt, the recipient of $53 billion in American aid since 1975? It is hard to understand why the Muslim world would think the US a chump.
By TigerHawk, at
Thu Dec 07, 03:31:00 PM:
Allen, one of the post 9/11 critiques of America's foreign policy in the region in the last 50 years is that the logic of "offshore balancing" has pushed us to subsidize governments that then demonize us to their population as a means of deflecting attention from their own failings. So, yes, we have subsidized the Muslim world and defended our allies within that world from the depredations of outsiders (the Soviets) and their own internal enemies, and all we have received for it is loathing.
By 
, at
Thu Dec 07, 03:38:00 PM:
ya, but Republicans get this!
http://www.usip.org/building/index.html
By , at
Thu Dec 07, 04:11:00 PM:
There's a new "anti-Jihad" movement being formed to draw together the "Right" from the blogosphere.
Have a look
By , at
Thu Dec 07, 04:17:00 PM:
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Thu Dec 07, 05:09:00 PM:
Let's get something straight about the foreign aid to Egypt. When the U.S. government provided foreign aid to Egypt (and to most other countries) over the years, the American officials spent most of the funds on goods and services from U.S. companies. In other words, the Egyptians got some American-made stuff, and U.S. suppliers got most of the money. I know. I sold a lot of goods to Egypt and billed the Pentagon.
American foreign aid has created many American jobs.
By El Jefe Maximo, at
Thu Dec 07, 07:26:00 PM:
I sure admire any Arab who sticks his neck out in public to say he stands with the Americans. . .because that's real courage. If the terrorists don't get him, the Democrats will abandon him.
By allen, at
Thu Dec 07, 08:08:00 PM:
DEC,
Did Egypt get $53 billion in goods and services?
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Thu Dec 07, 08:36:00 PM:
Allen: "Did Egypt get $53 billion in goods and services?"
The Egyptian government's procurement process is similar to the ones at the U.S. federal government and at U.S. state governments (solicitation of bids, etc.)
In many cases, the Egyptian government acquired items directly from the U.S. government's own inventory.
The $53 billion figure is about right. The Christian Science Monitor said in April 2004: "Aid is central to Washington's relationship with Cairo. The US has provided Egypt with $1.3 billion a year in military aid since 1979, and an average of $815 million a year in economic assistance. All told, Egypt has received over $50 billion in US largesse since 1975."
Unfortunately, most of the Egyptian people never see the American military aid. That goes for military equipment such as jet fighters, spare parts, etc. Much of the other assistance also is never seen by the average Egyptian. Those funds go for things like computer systems in other branches of the Egyptian government.
In contrast, the nation of Japan built the Cairo Opera House as a gift to the Egyptian people in 1988.
By allen, at
Thu Dec 07, 09:17:00 PM:
O/T I suppose. Patterico reports,
"MAJ Megan McClung, USMC, Public Affairs Officer for the Ready First Combat Team was killed in downtown Ramadi yesterday."
Semper Fi!
By , at
Fri Dec 08, 12:00:00 AM:
"This report is a recognition of the limitation of American power," said Abdel Moneim Said, head of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic studies in Cairo. "In the short term, America will highly suffer the loss of its reputation and credibility in the region." Emphasis mine.
I see little here to disagree with.
Limitation of American power? Surprise! Our military, no matter how technically advanced, does have limitations (recruitment and the lack of a draft being an obvious first stop to analyzing this particular debacle). Well, guess what kids, we can't rule the world. Most Americans, I think, would agree.
Short term losses? Regardless of how much a person regards Iraq 2 a success, I think most would also agree that our standing there, and in the ME as a whole, has been diminished. The trick is to make sure it is only a short term loss...
By William, at
Fri Dec 08, 01:14:00 AM:
"...and all we have received for it is loathing."
And countless strategic benefits and a secure source of oil. The system is far from perfect and certainly needs amending, but there have been benefits.
By TigerHawk, at
Fri Dec 08, 07:10:00 AM:
I agree with the comments of both The Chemist and William, at least as expressed. Thanks for joining in.
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Fri Dec 08, 09:11:00 AM:
"The trick is to make sure it is only a short term loss..."
I always find it interesting that most people in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East seldom connect the American people and the American government in their minds. I often hear this statement: "I like the American people, but I don't like the American government's policies." That makes the PR problem quite easy to solve in a short period of time.
In comparison, I have heard several Chinese make this statement about the people of India: "If you are approached by a cobra and an Indian, which do you kill first? The Indian."
"Why?" I would always ask out of politeness.
"Because the cobra will always attack you straight on, but the Indian will attack you from behind."
That is a much more difficult PR problem to solve.
By , at
Fri Dec 08, 10:13:00 AM:
And still they sell us their oil and do this why dont we just cut them off and go drill in the ANWR and tell GREENPEACE and OPEC both where they can go
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Fri Dec 08, 11:10:00 AM:
"...but the Indian will attack you from behind"
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks, supposedly was born in the Baluchistan region of Pakistan. Pakistan was part of British India. I guess it's just a coincidence.
By , at
Fri Dec 08, 07:01:00 PM:
You liberals have got it so wrong. The president is right, that's why he's the president. And he has surrounded himself with intelligunt people who, with their vast years of experience in the military and high office, he relies on for the most accurate assessment of the reality of Commie/Facist/Islamo plans to take over the world and take away our guns, just like you chickens want. That's why he's the decider, a do-gooder, and the MSM which is owned by liberal cut-and-runners like GE, Times/Warner, and Rupurt Mirdock are all in bed with the do-badders. He has a secret plan for total victory, so shut up, or else it won't be a secret and the traitors win! Do you want to lose? All this talk about saving lives and money and you never thought about what's good for America - Do you want to lose! I say we back him in whatever he wants to do because it's good for America. Pinheads for Bush say: Re-elect Bush in 2008!
By , at
Fri Dec 08, 07:09:00 PM:
You liberals have got it so wrong. The president is right, that's why he's the president. And he has surrounded himself with intelligunt people who, with their vast years of experience in the military and high office, he relies on for the most accurate assessment of the reality of Commie/Facist/Islamo plans to take over the world and take away our guns, just like you chickens want. That's why he's the decider, a do-gooder, and the MSM which is owned by liberal cut-and-runners like GE, Times/Warner, and Rupurt Mirdock are all in bed with the do-badders. He has a secret plan for total victory, so shut up, or else it won't be a secret and the traitors win! Do you want to lose? All this talk about saving lives and money and you never thought about what's good for America - Do you want to lose! I say we back him in whatever he wants to do because it's good for America. Pinheads for Bush say: Re-elect Bush in 2008!
