Dan Minette wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Hobby" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
...
> > No. We are dealing with a pathological minority, backed
> > up by a large sector of public opinion in the Middle East. If
> > we clean up our act, public opinion there will change.
>
> I'm in the middle and I have questions to ask of both sides of the
> arguement. Your's just happens to be the easiest to ask. What is the
> basis of this? What horrid things have we done in the Middle East. You
> mention supporting the Shah in the 50s.
Yes. This is the argument that I want to be having.
I might lose it, but it will at least be more sensible. I'm
getting tired of having my words twisted on me.
So we're thinking that American misdeeds should be those
in the Arab world? That sounds fair--I imagine the average
Middle Easterner doesn't even know what we did in Chile, say.
(As the world gets more "global" this might change, and our
reputation in one area would have more of an effect on our
reputation in others.)
I mentioned the Shah because I believe that the Iranian
Theocracy came to power partially because of resentment to his
rule. But let me do some research...
---David
> But, we facilitated the change of government when the Shah was deposed,
> about 25 years ago.
(I wouldn't really call it that--we didn't seem to be doing
much "facilitating" at the time.)
> The main things we have done in the Middle East
> between that time and 9/11 was
>
> 1) Buy a bunch of oil
> 2) Roll back Hussein's attempt to overtake the Middle East
> 3) Work for Arab oil companies
> 4) Support Israel's right to exist.
> 5) Sell military equipment to less extreme governments in order to decrease
> their obvious vulnerability to other countries, such as Iraq and Iran
...
> Finally, there is one other point worth thinking about. Via both schools
> and the media, the citizens of the Arab world have been taught a pack of
> lies about the US and Jews. A good example of this is the multiple
> presentations of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" as history. It is
> everywhere from being presented as a top rated television series on
> Egyptian television to being taught in Palestinian schools.
>
> Why aren't these lies more critical to Arab public opinion than any errors
> the US may have committed in dealing with Arab governments?
>
> Dan M.
Yes, and our "friends" the Saudis are some of the worst.
It might have made sense to uncritically ally with them during
the Cold War, but now it is time to insist on some changes there.
---David
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