Soccer Dad

Doubting the Sophisticates

There is a sophisticated view of the Middle East. It is one that I, an unapologetic supporter of Israel, cannot comprehend. It is view that says that stability in the Middle East will only come from settling the Palesitnian Israeli conflict. That will only occur when America stops its one sided support for Israel. That is what inflames the Arab street that makes the Middle East so unstable. It is the considered opinion of Shibley Telhami:

Although polling conducted in the region by Zogby International over the past several years has consistently found unfavorable views of the United States, these findings are the most negative that I've seen. And at the heart of Arab attitudes are resentment of U.S. policy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict and deep mistrust of American's intentions in Iraq.

It is the view of the brothers Zogby:

When compared by age, older Arabs demonstrate greater intensity of concern for Israel-Palestine and civil rights, while younger Arabs show greater concern for women’s rights. Nevertheless, both young and old agree on the overall rank order of all issues. Both age cohorts place resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as second in importance, civil rights in sixth place, and women’s rights ninth out of the ten issues covered in the survey.

and

(John) "The 10 nations seem to speak with one voice in rating American policy in the Middle East region – and towards Palestinians in particular – in a negative way. And the numbers were pretty overwhelming."

Then there's wise man of the first Bush administration, James Baker:

The United States should itself clearly embrace and articulate the unequivocal, good-faith standard for the resumption of dialogue. The United States should further prevail upon Israel to cease settlement activity in the occupied territories pending Palestinian elections and during the resumption of peace negotiations. Washington should also do everything else that it can to encourage both sides to resume meaningful talks. And it should serve, where necessary, as a direct participant in the talks, offering suggestions, brokering compromises and extending assurances.

Finally, the administration must make it unambiguously clear to Israel that while Prime Minister Sharon's planned withdrawal from Gaza is a positive initiative, it cannot be simply the first step in a unilateral process leading to the creation of Palestinian "Bantustans" in the West Bank.

And there's Michael Gettler, the Washington Post's ombudsman trumpeting the received wisdom of many Middle East experts:

"Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights, and the longstanding, even increasing support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, and the Gulf states."

And, of course, there are countless others sophisticated scolders who know that the only problem with how America is perceived in the Middle East is the result of its lack of concern for the plight of the Palestinians and its one sided support of democratic ally Israel against the terror supporting Palestinians.
It's so simple really. If you're sophisticated.
As I've noted before Joseph Farah of World Net Daily, an unsophisticated sort, like myself considers gauging public opinion in the Arab world is a tricky affair:

But left out of the equation by both Telhami and Zogby is one important dynamic: Arab public opinion doesn't drive action by Arab leaders. There are no free republics among the Arab nations surveyed.

Now another unsophisticated sort, Amir Taheri, who did some actual legwork, (though it's admittedly anecdotal, weighs in with his observations:

I have just spent the whole fasting month of Ramadan in several Arab countries, where long nights are spent eating, drinking coffee and, of course, discussing politics.

There are no free elections or reliable opinion polls in the Arab world. So no one knows what the silent majority really thinks. The best one can do is rely on anecdotal evidence. On that basis, I came to believe that the Palestine-Israel issue was low down on the list of priorities for the man in the street but something approaching an obsession for the political, business, and intellectual elites.

If Taheri is right would that mean that the foreign policy sophisticates have been boosting the fortunes of the selfish interests of the despotic ruling classes in the Arab world. But their sophisticated they would never countenance such a perverse course of action. Would they?
Crossposted Israpundit and Soccer Dad.

Posted by SoccerDad at December 5, 2004 12:35 PM