U.S. Middle Middle east relations 1949-98

[Squishy Cheeks]

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Se...heyHateUs.html

[Gilgamesh in a Hat]

The world hates us because America is like the stupid younger brother. You usually don't let it get involved but then the U.S goes crying to its mom (*cough Britain *cough) and you are forced to have the U.S do somthing importent. Then the U.S screws it up and blames it on everyone else. I ask you, with all of the mistakes the U.S has done it's hard to like it right? I don't hate the U.S at all, I hate the retarded people (*cough George Bush *cough) who made it look bad. Also is that a list of bad things the U.S did? I don't get it.

[icythaco]

Alright, this list may not put the U.S. in a great light at all, but we must keep in mind that satatistics and facts can still be biased, because the author decides which to include or disclude. It'd be interesting to see a list of the GOOD things the U.S. has done for the Middle East. It would probably be a little more boring, but just as long as this one. But people tend to forget the good in the face of the bad, and this is holding true for the Middle-Easterners as well: This list is exactly what they think of when they picture America; all that aid and other good things we provided for them seems to amount to nothing when compared to the "bad" things we did. Also, more people know about the bad than the good in the world, simply because the bad usually makes a better news story.

[Archbio]

I don't know, icythaco, but I've heard the opposite view quite more often (I rarely hear the middle-eastern view itself, so that explains part of that). And usually, the lists of the good things the U.S. have done aren't named "list of good things the U.S. have done", but just "list of the things the U.S. have done". The object of this list is openly stated and precise enough: it doesn't pretend that's the whole of U.S. action.

Also, funny how you put bad in quotes ("bad"), and put good in caps once (GOOD).

[icythaco]

Also, funny how you put bad in quotes ("bad"), and put good in caps once (GOOD).

Just for emphasis. I probably shouldn't have included it anyway...

But in reponse, yes, I agree that around here you mostly see the U.S.-supported 'good' list, and not much of the 'bad' list (except maybe in Michael Moore films). Heck, the U.S. probably has given tons of aid to the middle-east, but it still doesn't make any difference:

In the middle-east, the things that stick in the locals' minds are the bombings and the anti-middle-eastern policies carried out by the U.S. against them. Every time we take a side in a conflict between factions in the Middle-East, the entire middle-east gets POd at us because we are still technically fighting against middle-eaterners. Anything we do that effects any faction negatively is just another log on the fire.

I can shorten that list down to one reason the middle east doesn't like the US.

1. $134,791,507,200 or so in aid to Israel while ignoring the rest of the region.

[Archbio]

In the middle-east, the things that stick in the locals' minds are the bombings and the anti-middle-eastern policies carried out by the U.S. against them. Every time we take a side in a conflict between factions in the Middle-East, the entire middle-east gets POd at us because we are still technically fighting against middle-eaterners. Anything we do that effects any faction negatively is just another log on the fire.

There's really something paradoxal there, the kind of middle-eastern (or islamic, I don't know which one actually applies here) "overnationalism", that kind of works above/under of the other, official national dynamics. [Edit: where am going with this? Who knows? Not me!]

On the other hand, to consider that the bombings/overthrows would be outweighed by aid in the mind of people personally affected by the former, is pretty irrational in its own right. Especially if one counts on the "overnationalism" to convey the good will created by aid in one middle-eastern country to the others.

[icythaco]

Originally Posted by ArchBio

On the other hand, to consider that the bombings/overthrows would be outweighed by aid in the mind of people personally affected by the former, is pretty irrational in its own right. Especially if one counts on the "overnationalism" to convey the good will created by aid in one middle-eastern country to the others.

Sure, I agree with you. However, our aid only helps a certain small percentage of the population, but our military and political actions against any part of the middle-east has resounding repurcussions in the minds of all of the middle-easterners. Think of it this way: what are muslims living in the middle-east most likely to hear about? The most rescent bombing conducted by the U.S.? or the U.S.'s food-drops in Afganistan? In the eyes of the media, one makes a good news story, the other doesn't.

Edit:

Originally Posted by Mr.Wind-Up Bird

1. $134,791,507,200 or so in aid to Israel while ignoring the rest of the region.

I'm not sure that first figure's right (can you source it, please?), but we haven't exactly ignored the rest of the middle-east: We've provided alot of aid to them as well, although maybe not as much as Israel.

[Gilgamesh in a Hat]

It's not the fact that were giving so much to Israel and no one else, we are helping other countries. The part that pisses arab countries off is that Israel is their swarn enemy! and we are giving them monet, lots of it.

[icythaco]

It's not the fact that were giving so much to Israel and no one else, we are helping other countries. The part that pisses arab countries off is that Israel is their swarn enemy! and we are giving them monet, lots of it.

I'm not sure that Israel is the "swarn" enemy of every muslim: there is no single reason for their dislike of the U.S., but rather a combination of many things. Money, politics, policies, diplomacy, location, culture, these all play a part in their distrust and hatred.