Zogby's "Arab Attitudes" Polls--The U.S. Flunks as Obama Under-Delivers

The results of Zogby International's occasional "Arab Attitudes" polls are as predictable as snow in winter: every time, the results show the Arab world is unhappy with America.

Conducted by the Arab American Institute (AAI), Arab Attitudes 2011 reveals that "after improving with the election of Barack Obama in 2008, U.S. favorable ratings across the Arab world have plummeted. In most countries they are lower than at the end of the Bush Administration."

You read that right: America was more popular in the Arab world under George W. Bush than under Barack Obama. How can this be? This president was supposed to "restore" America's image in the world. Could it be a wave of disappointment over the unfulfilled promises of the much-vaunted 2009 Cairo speech? Or that America is simply the easiest scapegoat for all the problems in the Middle East?

All six countries polled show different results, but the underlying trend is the same: no matter who is President, no matter how many troops are in or out of the Middle East, America remains disliked. For example, Egypt's favorable attitude towards the US was 15% in 2002, 14% in 2005, 14% in 2006, 9% in 2008 and 5% in 2011. Similarly, Jordan had results of 34% in 2002, 33% in 2005, 5% in 2006, 16% in 2008 and 10% in 2011.

Conventional wisdom has blamed dashed hopes for the poor poll results, particularly after Obama's lofty rhetoric about spreading democracy without force, more rights for women, eased tensions between Palestinians and Israelis and the pull-out of all American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. That is undoubtedly a part of the reason, but there is more to the story.

Anyone can make an optimistic speech. Obama is an expert at it. But he has broken one of the cardinal rules of politics in his foreign policy: Always under-promise and over-deliver. Obama promised too much and has not delivered on anything tangible or substantive. He has not backed up words with actions -- and Arabs know it. The impression is that Americans will only step forward and help to achieve the goals laid out at Cairo when it suits them.

Those polled were offered a choice of five answers to the question: "If you had to choose one thing from the list below, which is the greatest obstacle to peace and stability in the Middle East?" The "continuing occupation of Palestinian lands" was the top choice, followed by U.S. interference in the Arab world.

Assuming respondents are answering the questions truthfully (given that so many of them live in fear, this is very questionable), it is ironic that the top choice leads to anti-American sentiment. America is by far the largest donor to UNWRA (none of the six nations whose people were surveyed in the poll rank in the top 20) and supports Palestinian statehood.

On the second reason, wouldn't it have been interesting to add the word "selective" to "U.S. interference in the Arab world" to see if made any difference? One of the greatest sources of outrage among Arabs is America's hypocrisy: the U.S. continues to coddle the Saudi royals; takes no stand against aggression in Bahrain, and refuses to help the people of Syria and Iran to liberate themselves; yet goes to war to remove Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. The deathbed conversion to oppose Hosni Mubarak in Egypt did not help matters, either. These inconsistencies do tremendous damage to America's reputation. Obama's Cairo speech now appears like an insincere public relations stunt, given that so little has been done – even by way of words – to encourage the reform movements in many Arab countries.

America's mistakes in the Middle East are too many to list. Unfortunately, this poll merely propagates the damaging myth that the U.S. is the source of many of the region's problems and that the U.S. is incapable of helping to resolve them. America and Israel, for Arab governments, continue to be a scapegoat for everything that is wrong. America cannot catch a break -- majorities in every country even said that the killing of Osama bin Laden makes them view the US less favorably.

The only way to improve America's reputation long term is to side consistently with reformers, and be active when needed -- particularly when asked

Conducted by the Arab American Institute (AAI), Arab Attitudes 2011 reveals that "after improving with the election of Barack Obama in 2008, U.S. favorable ratings across the Arab world have plummeted

Trivia on the AAI:

1985 : (AAI IS FOUNDED ----see FOUNDER ZOGBY {see ZOGBY SUPPORT OF THE PLO LEADRER YASSIR ARAFAT}, AAI OFFICIAL/AMC MEMBER/CYNTHIA MCKINNEY PRESS SECRETARY KHALED ELGINDY {see LINK TO NATIONAL IRAQ NETWORK, EGYPT} , EDWARD M GABRIEL {see GABRIEL'S LINKS TO ABDURAHMAN ALAMOUDI & LEBANESE OIL FINANCIER ROGER TAMRAZ}) The Arab American Institute (AAI) was founded in 1985, to nurture and encourage the direct participation of Arab Americans in political and civic life in the United States. AAI provides training and resources for Arab American political effectiveness through participation in party politics, public boards and commissions, city councils and state legislatures, as well as congressional and presidential elections. -------- Source : Arab American Institute, 918 16th Street, NW Suite 601 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 429-9210 (202) 429-9214 FAX AAI@USG.ORG E-mail address

AAI's Khaled Elgindy:

MAY 1998 : (IRAQ : KHALED ELGINDY & THE TERROR "CHARITY" THE INTERNATIONAL RELIEF ASSOCIATION, LATER KNOWN AS "LIFE FOR RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT," {see HAMAS} DELIVER AID TO SADDAM HUSSEIN'S IRAQ) --"McDermott, Bonior And Thompson- Did The Democrats and Their Media Allies Make A Deal with Hussein, "http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/947237/posts

Former AAI official Khaled Elgindy's brother is Amr Elgindy...aka Anthony Elgindy aka "Tony Pacific" ; Anthony is known for a stock trade he requested the day before the 9/11 attacks:

SEPTEMBER 10, 2001: (ANTHONY ELGINDY TELLS HIS STOCKBROKER TO LIQUIDATE HIS CHILDREN'S $300,000 TRUST ACCOUNT , HE REPORTEDLY TELLS HIS BROKER THAT THE DOW JONES AVERAGE WILL FALL TO BELOW 3,000 ; THE REQUEST COMES TOO LATE TO GO THROUGH ON THE 10th; AT SOME POINT AFTER THIS DATE BUT BEFORE MAY 24, 2002 ANTHONY ALSO MOVES MORE THAN $700,000 TO BEIRUT LEBANON)

MAY 22, 2003 : (BROOKLYN, NY : INDICTMENT ISSUED AGAINST ANTHONY ELGINDY, DERRICK CLEVELAND, FRMR FVBI AGENT JEFFREY ROYER, FBI AGENT LYNN WINGATE, AND TROY PETERS)

Oh, almost forgot... all roads lead to Chicago:

1998 : (AMR I. ELGINDY'S FATHER, IBRAHIM ELGINDY {BOARDMEMBER OF THE CHICAGO AREA "TERROR CHARITIES" BENEVOLENCE INTL AND GLOBAL RELIEF}, LEADS A PROTEST ON BEHALF OF MUHAMMAD A SALAH- WHO IS LINKED TO HAMAS) -- "Stock Adviser Knew About 9/11 Attacks, U.S. Suggests," by ALEX BERENSON, The New York Times, 05/25/2002

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