The Arab world has been and is still currently ruled by authoritarian regimes. There are many countries that the people are classified as being Arab, however, ethnicities, religion, and language differ between these countries. In addition, inter-Arab divisions are extremely bitter toward each other and a great deal of violence is still seen. The author gives his stance on why the Middle East is particularly prone to violence and war. He claims that fighting over oil is a major cause and also the continuing conflict with Israel. Finally, he states that the absence of democracy in these Arab nations causes violence because they instead rely on domination in order to stay in power.
The author talks about President Bush’s efforts of setting up democracy in the Arab regimes failed for numerous reasons. The first reason was that that Arab reformers believed the Bush administration lacking as successful messengers. Arabs felt that reform should have been their own business. In addition, the war in Iraq caused controversy. Arabs did not feel America had their best interest in mind because they were killing their people and ruining their land. Now with the Obama administration, pushing for freedom reform is no longer the issue. In Cairo, Obama states, “ Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone.” The author makes the point that this might be a better way to go than the Bush administration, however it still does not address the problem of political stagnation in the Arab world.
I think it will be interesting to see how the Obama administration’s plan of withdrawal will play out. It seems that Arabs are divided in their opinions of whether or not they think outside interference is beneficial. The dynamics between outsiders and the Arab states, I think have been necessary in order to develop the Arab states internal politics. Also, it is amazing how the impact of war with Israel has such a stagnant effect on Arab nations. When will this controversy be resolved, if ever?
I also found the preoccupation with Israel of most Arabs and countries to be if not surprising, interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis problem has been going on since the end of WWII...while it preoccupies these nations and people, how will they focus on other things?