- 11 September 2008
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- 2 Comments
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- Events in DC, US-Iran War
Rethinking the Message We’re Sending
11 September 2008 Posted By Rebecca Schiel
“The ideology behind 9/11 has become mainstream in much of the Middle East” said Jim Sciutto, author of Against Us: The New Face of America’s Enemies in the Muslim World. Jim Sciutto in his first public appearance since the books publishing was hosted by David Gray from the New America Foundation yesterday.
The book profiled eight people from various Middle Eastern countries throughout the last seven years, analyzing the roots of their negative views of US foreign policy; the war in Iraq, the Afghan invasion, US support for Israel, and foreigners in Muslim lands. “You hear the same buzz words, same manifesto, and same rhetoric…What you heard from Jihadists [in the past], you now hear from people on the street.”
Much of it is rooted in a perception of US hypocrisy. “US interests seem to override US principles and principle is central to our sales pitch,” commented Sciutto. Similar contradictions exist in the Middle East – “they have an admiration and desire for US culture and government,” he said, yet they dislike many things American. He named this as the main cause of the severe disappointment among many Afghanis and Iraqis.
Sciutto depicted Tehran as a city that was friendly to the west, “certainly more friendly to us than our allies in Egypt and Jordan.” He profiled a young man in Iran, Babak Zamanian, who was sentenced to time in prison after protesting Ahmadinejad at a rally, reportedly yelling “Death to the Dictator” and burning his picture. Zamanian said that our cause for winning the Iranian people’s hearts and minds is hurt by the constant talk of war.
Footage of the event can be viewed online at http://www.newamerica.net/events/2008/against_us
2 Responses to “Rethinking the Message We’re Sending”
Among the many problems Sciutto sees with our image in the Middle East, he noted a measure of admiration among many Middle Easterners. How is it that the US can be both admired and hated? Why do our promises seem to consistently fall short of expectations in this part of the world? How can we satisfy both our principles and our interests or is this possible at all?
Public polling has shown that Iranian Americans are the most favorably inclined to the US among Muslim Countries. While we understand that foreign policy plays a large part in the perception of America and the west; what else has a decisive impact?
Nobody likes Mcain! Atleast not if you ask… the rest of the WORLD!
Done some reading and it appears that BBC recently did a survey in 22 countries, asking people who they belive would improve Americas relation with the rest of the world. Well to summon up …
46 percent voted for Obama and
20 percent for Mcain and
34 percent said they where not shure!
AH… In Canada which after all is the neighbouring country 69 percent voted for Obama, Italy 64%, France 62% and Germany 61%…
ONLY in USA… in a new survey it reveals that Obama gets 47 percent of the votes and Mcain 46! How in the world is it that the rest of the planet, people like Obama vastly more than Mr Mcain … while only in The US, it appears to be equal?
No matter the reason, I believe the rest of the planet also should get their say in this election… (or at least the 100 countries America has put under their military control !!) Anybody more affected by an election should be able to vote… otherwise it cant under any circumstances be called a democratic system. We live in a global world where no nation stands excluded from neighbours around. Obviously its hard to have a global election for the president-post in every country, but think about it… don’t you believe a great deal of people in Iraq are more affected by this election than a whole lot of people in the USA… ? I do! If the US e´wants all this global military/financial responsibility, they can atleast hear what the world has to say… jao!
But hey … anywho anyways anywhat, that just me right!?