US foreign policy and what it says to everyday Arab muslims.

There is a fierce debate within the United States on the wisdom of the current administration's foreign policy framework. Public opinion in the US is on balance negative. Not altogether surprising is the split, almost down the middle, of the academic and policy think tank communities.

With the exception of some world leaders and troubled factions within their political parties, the rest of the human race is surprisingly united in its opposition to US policies. Unconditional support of Israel, occupation of Iraq, support of less-than-democratic regimes, shady extradition practices, and the flouting of the Geneva Conventions, among other issues, have convinced the greater part of the human race that we are provoking conflict on a regional, if not global scale. In the last fifty years, the US has inspired great hope in its Middle Eastern diplomatic projects, particularly among everyday Arabs. Yet, almost without fail, such projects have languished, inspiring only disillusionment, anger, opposition, or worse. In the last twenty years, the willingness of the rest of the world to get behind the lofty rhetoric of US presidents has all but disappeared. Some observers wonder whether the current administration has spent the last of what little moral capital the United States had on the global stage.

In the short history of the United States, its regimes have cared little for the opinions of other governments or peoples. This is nothing unusual in the realm of international relations. The Executive has cared little for the opinions of large segments of the US citizenry. This is nothing unusual in the realm of government. The Executive has also demonstrated a lack of concern for the opinions of its Legislative and Judicial counterparts in government. Nothing surprising there. So, what is surprising about the current state of affairs? The sad truth is, not much.

What makes people so much more angry today is the arrogance, intrigue and impunity with which the US pursues its interests in the Middle East. (Nevermind what the Executive is pursuing at home.) But it doesn't stop there. What makes people in the Middle East so angry, in particular, is the casual way with which US politicians and corporate leaders play with their very lives. To be sure, other parties in the West and indeed in the Middle East, are responsible to a great degree for the suffering and hardship in the region. One could equivocate all day on who is responsible for what. The fact is that the US is in a position to change the fate of millions in the region and has promised to do so. Yet, instead of keeping its promises to the Middle East, it breaks them. Instead of bringing opportunity, it brings retrenchment. Instead of bringing stability, it brings war and anarchy. As any Arab will tell you -- as any Muslim will tell you -- this isn't all of it. Not for them. The suffering goes much deeper and has a long memory -- longer, certainly, than ours.

This makes the debate in the US over the wisdom of President Bush's policies subject to easy scorn. After all, we do not own the Middle East. We do not own the lives of Arabs or anyone else. We do not own their lands or the resources there. So why do we act the way we do? This is a complex question, and one that I will explore over a series of posts to this blog.