The World Through Arab Eyes by Shibley Telhami

Author:Shibley Telhami
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2013-06-23T20:13:13+00:00

FIGURE 7.4 Unfavorable Arab Ratings of the United States, Without Regard to Satellite TV Access, Six-Country Aggregates, 2009–2011

By May 2012, Egypt was already providing evidence that the 2011 improvement might have been temporary. In a poll taken on the eve of the Egyptian elections, 85 percent of those surveyed expressed unfavorable views of the United States. Part of the reason was a widespread perception that the United States would be intervening (through the Egyptian military) to prevent a democratically elected president from taking office or even being announced, but the Egyptian results were also consistent with prior trends. Ironically, of course, the United States actually tried to persuade the Egyptian military to accept whatever outcome emerged from the democratic vote, and when the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Muhammad Morsi, was declared the winner, former allies of Washington in Egypt turned the tables and started accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of being America’s candidate. Thus, when Egyptians were in the middle of what was mostly an internal struggle, deeply held anger with the United States was an instrument used to gain advantage by those previously friendly to Washington (remnants of the Mubarak regime) against those previously hostile to it (especially Muslim Brotherhood). As the old saying goes, politics makes for strange bedfellows.

It Was Never About Values

Arab attitudes toward the United States were never at their core about values as such. It is true that “values” cannot be easily separated from policy, but opinions Arabs form about American values are based on policies, not slogans. Yes, Arabs admire the stated values of freedom and democracy, but their assessments of what America in fact stands for are formed by observing American policies and their consequences for Arabs themselves. It isn’t that Arabs say, “We don’t like American values; therefore we reject American policies.” It is the opposite: They reject American policies and therefore question American values and whether America stands for what it professes. From Woodrow Wilson’s time, America has championed self-determination, and that has long found resonance in the Arab world. But how does that square with America’s seeming acceptance of Palestinians living under occupation? America champions freedom and democracy, but how does one reconcile that with U.S. support for Arab autocrats who repress their people?

FIGURE 7.5 Basis of Arab Attitudes Toward the United States, Six-Country Totals, 2004–2008

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