The mood on the "Arab Street": US is fast becoming the villain

[BurtWorm]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2006_07/009237.php


THE ARAB STREET....Marc Lynch, who has been watching lots of Arab TV, says the mood in the Middle East has changed considerably over the past two weeks:

America is totally alone on this. And more than most Americans might realize, America is being blamed for Israel's actions. The shift in Arab public discourse over the last week has been palpable. For the first few days, split between the Saudi media and the "al-Jazeera public" which I wrote about at the time. Then for a few days, horror at the humanitarian situation, fury with the Arab states for their impotence, speculation about the endgame, and full-throated condemnation of Israeli aggression. But for the last few days, the main trend has been unmistakable: an increasing focus on the United States as the villain of the piece. (That the Israeli bombing of Beirut stopped just long enough for Condoleezza Rice's photo op certainly didn't help.)

Marc thinks the U.S. missed a chance for a "Suez moment," though that obviously isn't something the Bush administration ever had in mind anyway. Read the whole thing to see how he thinks things might have worked out if America had played a stronger role.

[Master Mahon]

1. re:US is fast becoming the villain

If the US is fast becoming the villain only now to the Arab world, then they have showed some super human restraint up until now!

[BurtWorm]

4. What should be concerning is that Israel is killing Arabs and the *US*

is the villain. And not, apparently, because of what we're activelty doing to Arabs in Iraq, but because of how slowly and poorly the US is reacting to the situation in Lebanon--killing with passive aggression.

[1620rock]

2. Yes, well I'm sure that is true. Furthermore, I will bet that this....

...entire exercise in aggression by the Israeli's was orchestrated by the United States to further the PNAC agenda. The US probably suggested that Israel strike with the US's blessings and more arms and aid would be coming there way. Don't strike and well...If we can't count on you, then perhaps you cannot count on a 100% backing from us. In other words Israel has possibly been coerced into doing some of the dirty work of PNAC. :shrug:

[walldude]

7. Well it's sure not because of 2 kidnapped soldiers.

Something deeper at work here. DU'ers are too busy beating up on each other to even attempt to get to the bottom of it. Hopefully Palast will have some news when I check his site later...

[n2doc]

3. Loved the observation in the comments

After the inevitable Israelbot "Appeasement does not work, See Neville Chamberlain" comment, the response:

"Mechanical repitition of supposed lessons of very different past historical situations that you barely understand is a great way to get oneself into deep, deep trouble. See WWI, Guns of August."

[BurtWorm]

5. kick

[cigsandcoffee]

6. When have we not been "the villain" on the Arab Street?

And which street is this anyway? Does it flow in one or two directions?

[BurtWorm]

8. Specifically, the villain of the latest crisis.

You ever wonder why we're the villain?

[WinkyDink]

9. The "Arab Street" is both a term and a phenomenon I am

totally over.