DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE NEW MIDDLE EAST
POLICES
Gary N. Gray
_______________
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Many Americans ask why the Islamic
world distrusts the United States. And they ask why
many young Muslims dislike American foreign policies
in the Middle East.
Before September 11, 2001, the
United States had many conservative, moderate Islamic
allies. These countries included: Egypt, Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan, and Jordan. Today, these allies no longer
exist. After the 9/11 attacks, this group of moderate
Arab allies withdrew their support for America and
tried to stem a recent tide of anti-American sentiment
among young Muslim men. The United States may have
added the following to a list of Islamic enemies:
Mindanao (Southern Philippines), Indonesia, Chad,
Malaysia, Somalia, Syria, and Sudan.
Many young brown skinned males
declared that if the United States were to attack any
Middle Eastern country, they would proudly go and fight
against the Americans. And that is exactly what happened. Many
young Arab males felt that if the United States
really wanted to spread democracy and freedom, the
administration would have assisted Chad and Sudan in
their time of need. They also felt that Americans
should have aided the state of Palestine in becoming a
legitimate participant in world politics.
Skepticism and distrust of
American motives remains high six
years after American-coalition troops entered
Afghanistan and Iraq. American military actions in the
past six years has destabilized the Islamic states of
Lebanon, Egypt, Pakistan, and Somalia.
Many young Muslim men feel that the
goals of these conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are
to divide and conquer the Islamic power base. Pitting
Sunni’s against Shiites, many of them do not believe
that Al Qaeda masterminded the attacks of September
11, 2001. This may be correct, since ninety percent of
the attackers on 9/11 were Saudi Nationals, and most
of the car bombers in Iraq and Afghanistan today are
Saudi Nationals. Americans should be asking what is
the Saudi government doing to curb these recent
attacks.
Many people in the Middle East believe
that America's goal is to undermine the leadership
of Middle Eastern politicians, just as they undermined
the leadership on the African continent 50-60 years
ago. The United States' war on terror is not winning
the hearts and minds of Iraqis and Afghans, similar to
the Vietnam conflict 30 years ago.
A recommendation for the 2008 American
administration: Try a type of Marshall Plan Rebuilding
Program, Peace Corps Program, and Fulbright Grants to
reconnect Middle Easterners. America must
show a different side of itself by building positive
relationships, and by building a bridge of
communication in that region. "Butter, not guns" or
would change the tide of distrust and violence.
If this does not happen, more Middle
Easterners who are undecided will turn against the
United States, and its regional policies.
THAT IS THE GRAY LINE
7/23/07
