THE BLAME GAME

For years now, anti-Americanism has served as a means of last resort by which failed political systems and movements in the Middle East try to improve their standing. The United States is blamed for much that is bad in the Arab world, and it is used as an excuse for political and social oppression and economic stagnation. By assigning responsibility for their own shortcomings to Washington, Arab leaders distract their subjects' attention from the internal weaknesses that are their real problems. And thus rather than pushing for greater privatization, equality for women, democracy, civil society, freedom of speech, due process of law, or other similar developments sorely needed in the Arab world, the public focuses instead on hating the United States.

What makes this strategy remarkable, however, is the reality of past U.S. policy toward the region. Obviously, the United States, like all countries, has tried to pursue a foreign policy that accords with its own interests. But the fact remains that these interests have generally coincided with those of Arab leaders and peoples. For example, the United States may have had its own reasons for saving Kuwait from annexation by Iraq's secular dictatorship in 1991 — mainly to preserve cheap oil. But U.S. policy was still, in effect, pro-Kuwaiti, pro-Muslim, and pro-Arab. After all, Washington could have used the war as a pretext to seize Kuwait's oil fields for itself or demand lower prices or political concessions in exchange for fighting off Iraq. Instead, U.S. leaders did none of these things and sought the widest possible support for their actions among Arabs and Muslims. So instead of PR, we need to call the leaders of Islamic nations - like our friends in Egypt and Saudi Arabia - on their lies and subterfuge, and hold their feet to the fire to either speak the truth or give up our support. They need us way more than we need them.

UPDATE
You bet these Iraqis have had access to the "free flow of information": they can't even get it from Western news service Reuters, who seem to leave out something called "context" whenever they discuss the plight of average Iraqis:

Struggling under U.N. sanctions and faced with the threat of a U.S. attack, Iraqis put on a brave face as they marked Eid al-Fitr Thursday, saying the Muslim festival brought good cheer.
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