White House panel shocked at Muslim hostility to US

[dkamin]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1053965,00.html

US panel shocked at Muslim hostility

Gary Younge in New York
Thursday October 2, 2003
The Guardian

Hostility towards the US has reached "shocking levels" among Arabs and Muslims around the world and left the country "vulnerable to lethal threats" unless it improves its image, according to a panel chosen by the White House.
The bipartisan group of Arab-American scholars, former diplomats and opinion formers concluded that America's efforts to promote itself positively to Muslims and Arabs was in need of an urgent overhaul.

"What is required is not merely tactical adaptation but strategic, and radical, transformation," the panel stated in its report, "Changing Minds, Winning Peace," which was leaked to the New York Times.

"A process of unilateral disarmament in the weapons of advocacy over the last decade has contributed to widespread hostility toward Americans and left us vulnerable to lethal threats," it concluded.

The US advisory group on public diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim world, which was assembled in June, found that the state department spent only three-tenths of 1% of the defence department's budget on advocating US policies.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[gratuitous]

1. I'm shocked that this corrupt administration would be shocked!

Is there a more insensitive bunch of scumbags running around on the planet? Is there any group not in an institution that you could point to that is less self aware than these bozos?

[izzie]

18. But in a 2000 suit you can play the shocked cards.

No need to know the truth when you hold the power, or so they think. People that are rich often think that means they are also very smart and usually about every thing.

[bif]

2. The WH is clueless

Weren't they warned by al kinds of people that this would increase hatred and the possibility of terrorist attacks?

[Malikshah]

3. Clearly, the WH just doesn't get it.

Being "shocked" just goes to show how pathetically stupid, ignorant, and asinine this regime is.

Wake up idiots!

[Skidmore]

4. Amen...nt

[dkamin]

7. let's see

let's throw around loaded words like "crusade" while "independent" media and policy organizations who are officially unaffiliated with us, but who everyone in the world knows are unofficially closely connected to the White House start talking about invading Islamic countries and converting them to Christianity, reshaping the entire Middle East to better secure our energy (read: oil) interests, and invade an Arab country that had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 and posed absolutely no threat to the United States, all in the name of 9/11...

why would that inflame Muslims?

[Terran]

10. Can't exactly blame it all on the current admin

Yes, Bush has seriously exacerbated the situation, but the Arabs hate America because we've always had a pernicious foreign policy where the Middle East is concerned.

The CIA overthrew a democratically elected government in Iran in 1953 and installed the exiled Shah. If we had left things alone in Iran, things might be very VERY different now.

Dirk

[Don_G]

13. It Actually Goes Back To 1926

The UK and the US split up the oil reserves between them effectively shutting Iraq out. The Shah in '53 didn't help and Dimbo just greatly excaberated the problem with his "oil" wars.

[dkamin]

14. Unclear

Arab-American relationships, as well as our relationships with other countries, began to deteriorate badly at some point in the last 40 years. Certainly, our one-sided support of Israel hasn't helped. But i don't get the sense that ordinary Muslims hated America. Even my friends who are American born and raised Muslims just talk with disgust about Bushco.

I think you all are dramatically underestimating the effects that the last year and a half have had on Muslim perceptions of America.

in a lot of ways, i think it's very similar to what's occurred in Israel over the last 10 years: ordinary Palestinians are becoming radicalized by the harsh, us vs. them policies of the hard right in Israel. where most palestinians did not support terrorism 10 years ago, most do today.

i fear we're on a similar trajectory. when you view the world in black and white, i guess it's not surprising when the shades of gray start to disappear.

[pink_poodle]

5. How dare those Aye-rabs be angry at the poor widdle Amurikens. sheesh! ..

That's gratitude for you.

[Jacobin]

6. Bush* doesn't read the papers

(probably can't read the papers).

These idiots are just too cute with their "surprise"

[leesa]

8. The answer is always the same. Quit messing around

with Middle Eastern and other Muslim countries and quit unfairly propping up Israel. It's easy to solve "terrorism".

[JohnyCanuck]

9. And the answer is.........

Spend more money on propaganda while we drop bunker busters on their heads and spread depleted uranium across their countrysides. Sure that'll work.

A process of unilateral disarmament in the weapons of advocacy over the last decade has contributed to widespread hostility toward Americans and left us vulnerable to lethal threats," it concluded.

The US advisory group on public diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim world, which was assembled in June, found that the state department spent only three-tenths of 1% of the defence department's budget on advocating US policies.

The word "MORANS" doesn't begin to describe it.

[Snellius]

11. Why do they always think it's just a matter of "image"?

The Bushies think they can fool all the people all the time. They never seem to realize that maybe people hate them for what they're doing.

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Step One For Chaging Minds

Stop dropping bombs on people. You'd be surprised how surly that makes folks.
The Professor

[mike_c]

15. most of these "recommendations" amount to little more than PR....

If the U.S. wants substantive change in its perception in Islamic countries then it need substantive changes in its foreign policy, not just better advertising.

[K-W]

16. They just hate our freedom sillies

It has nothing to do with that fact that weve been screwing with them for decades just because they had the misfortune of living on top of oil.

[hatrack]

17. White House panel "shocked" that sun rises in east

The White House working group was also stunned to discover that fire is hot, water is wet and that Britney Spears can't sing for shit.

[Kitsune]

19. "I am shocked - SHOCKED! - to find that there is gambling going on here!"

"Excuse me sir, your winnings."

"Oh, thank you."