Inability to call a spade a spade

June 12, 2008

Inability to call a spade a spade

Hostility towards the US is at record levels around the world not because of any rejection of US values but because of US government policies such as the war in Iraq, and Washington's apparent hypocrisy in abiding by its own democratic values. This is the finding of the House of Representatives the Subcommittee on International Organisations, Human Rights and Oversight.
The report, based on expert testimony and polling data, reveals US approval ratings have fallen to record lows across the world since 2002, particularly in the Islamic World and Latin America.
The congressional panel puts the finger right on the pulse when it says that the problem arises not from a rejection of US culture, values and power but primarily from its Washington's policies that run counter to its officially declared policy of promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
"Our physical strength has come to be seen not as a solace but as a threat, not as a guarantee of stability and order but as a source of intimidation, violence and torture," says Democrat Bill Delahunt, chairman of the panel.
The report affirms that specific policies are to blame for falling approval ratings and cites the 2003 invasion and continuing occupation of Iraq, support for some repressive governments around the world, and the torture and abuse of prisoners.
The report finds that "disappointment and bitterness" have grown from the impression that "proclaimed US values of democracy, human rights and rule of law have been selectively ignored by successive administrations" for national security or economic ends.
It also says that unilateralism, particularly in military action, has led to "anger and a fear of attack that are transforming disagreements with US policy into a broadening and deepening anti-Americanism." 
These factors, as well as various US visa and immigration issues, have helped to create a "growing belief in the Islamic world that the United States is using the 'war on terror' as a cover for its attempts to destroy Islam," the report concludes.
Indeed, the report is an unusually frank and honest assessment of the US standing as the "leader of the free world" since it acknowledges the realities and is in stark contradiction to the usual line that the rest of the world hates the US because of envy for the "strength of the US economy, high standard of living and strong liberal values."
While we would like to tell the panel members that they have done an excellent job, we would also like to point out a glaring shortcoming in the report that is very typical and indeed a strong reason for the US to fall from grace in the Middle East. The shortcoming is that the report takes a low-key approach when it comes to the US approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict as a reason for its loss of credibility in the Middle East. As could be expected, the congressmen involved in preparing the report are not willing to call a spade a spade. Instead, they dare only to refer a "perception" of bias in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a reason for the drop in approval rating of the US.
That is so typical in US politics. Anything and everything is fine except the slightest hint that could be perceived as implicit criticism of the almost unlimited political, diplomatic, military, financial and moral support that the US extends to Israel. And that is indeed at the root of any even-handed effort to solve the Middle East conflict and thus a perennial source of "anti-Americanism."