Straight talk in Arab world

The Orlando Sentinel ^ | February 21, 2004 | Thomas L. Friedman

[windchime]

The other day the always thoughtful Osama al-Ghazali Harb, a top figure at Egypt's semiofficial Al Ahram center for strategic studies, the most important think tank in Egypt, published an article in the country's leading political quarterly, Al-Siyassa Al-Dawliya, in which he chastised those Arab commentators who argue that the way in which the United States captured Saddam was meant to humiliate Arabs.

"What we, as Arabs, should truly feel humiliated about are the prevailing political and social conditions in the Arab world -- especially in Iraq -- which allowed someone such as Saddam Hussein to . . . assume the presidency. We should feel humiliated that Saddam was able . . . to single-handedly initiate a number of catastrophic policies that transformed Iraq, relatively rich in natural, human and financial resources, into the poorest, most debt-ridden country in the Arab world, not to mention the hundreds of thousands killed and displaced. We should feel humiliated that some of our intellectuals, supposedly the representatives of our nations' consciences and the defenders of their liberty and dignity, not only dealt with Saddam, but also supported him. . . . The Arabs should have been the ones to bring down Saddam, in defense of their own dignity and their own true interests."

[windchime]

New perspectives expressed in the Middle East as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[windchime]

Ping.

[GeronL]

Todays front page??

[LADY J]

"New perspectives expressed in the Middle East as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom."

There is still the possibility that some clear thinking might be going on thoughout the Arab world. We can only hope.

[Billthedrill]

For those who have wondered why the "Arab street" has not erupted, this may be a clue - this "humiliation" of the Arabs is not so much what they actually feel, but what they are told they ought to feel by those for whom it is only one more tool for the manipulation of their peoples.

If the U.S. and the Iraqis do manage to navigate the next few months past the hazards of civil war and present the world with a new Iraqi government, some even harder questions are going to be asked, notably by the Iraqis to the sponsors of the current terror campaign, the first of those being "why were you killing us?"

[windchime]

It was posted online dated 2/21/04.

I heard about the Egyptian story on Fox today and found Friedman's article that referred to it in Google News.

[windchime]

Perhaps it is the positive article's notable ABSENCE from the front page to which you were referring.

[windchime]

"There is still the possibility that some clear thinking might be going on thoughout the Arab world. We can only hope."

Gaddafi certainly became clear thinking. I think we have reason to hope.

[GeronL]

nah, I know this is something that goes on the editorial page... I was just in the mood to post the front page =o)

[windchime]

"For those who have wondered why the "Arab street" has not erupted, this may be a clue - this "humiliation" of the Arabs is not so much what they actually feel, but what they are told they ought to feel by those for whom it is only one more tool for the manipulation of their peoples."

I think you're correct. The most recent terrorist video also uses the same "humiliation" tool to recruit and encourage.

[MarkDel]

You make a good point about the "humiliation angle"

But then again, the Arab Street may not be erupting because deep down inside, they are essentially cowards. If they weren't cowards, they would have overthrown their dictatorial governments a long time ago. The Arab Street is more about whiny, blind rage than anything else. They don't really want things to get better because they elevated BITCHING into an art form in that part of the world.

[Democratshavenobrains]

The Arab Street is more about whiny, blind rage than anything else.

Sounds like most of the Democratic Party too.

[MarkDel]

Yes, very similiar actually.