This Just In - Problems In Arab World Are Complicated!

Tear out the front page - Team Obama has discovered that the problems in the Arab world are so complicated that even a speech or two can't solve them:

President Obama has failed to live up to the expectations he created in the Arab world, according to a new poll released by IBOPE Zogby International and the Arab American Institute Foundation. The poll also noted that most Arab countries view the U.S. less favorably today than they did during the last year of the Bush administration.

When President Bush left office, 9 percent of Egyptians had a favorable attitude towards the United States. After Barack Obama was elected, that number jumped to 30 percent. But today, only 5 percent of Egyptians surveyed said they have a favorable opinion of the United States and its president. Similar figures in Morocco, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates illustrate that the initial optimism in the region has been eclipsed by a widespread sense of disappointment.

“President Obama did not create the problems, but he created the expectation that the problems would be solved,” said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute.

...But figures from six Arab nations tell the same story: People in the Arab world are frustrated by the lack of follow-up. “You get credit for trying after 100 days, but after two years you don’t get credit for trying; you get credit for producing, and the production isn’t there,” Zogby said.

“I’m not faulting the president. He didn’t get a magic wand when he took office,” Zogby said. “Instead, he got a shovel to get out of a deep hole. Every one of the issues that he's inherited has been more difficult than he or anyone else expected.”

The Palestinian problem is intractable?  Who knew?!?  Oppressive regimes across the region are out of touch with their own people?  Who could have seen that coming?

Another expert explains that this is simply reality overtaking the Obama fantasy:

Aaron David Miller, a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, said that the results reflect a fundamental “clash of interests” between the United States and countries in the region, calling the results “a very old story, which Zogby has simply brought up to date.”

“The fact is that there is a huge disconnect between what we believe is the right approach in the region and what many of the people who live there believe is the right approach,” Miller said.

“The bottom line is that Arabs expect a fundamental change in policy, but that change will not be forthcoming. And therefore the story of the United States in this region is going to continue to be difficult, to say the least.”

 

 

Comments

[Jack is Back!]

Lots of sand over there to draw lines in. He'd like it.

[Captain Hate]

Zogby sounds like a complete idiot; no wonder he likes Odummy.

[jimmyk]

The rise of the oceans don't respond to his command? Who knew?

[jimmyk]

don't s/b doesn't

[Clarice]

It's one of those interesting events where the Arab fantasies meet the President's and--duh--reality comes off the sidelines to bash both of them.

[Hosni Mubarak]

President Obama did not create the problems

Sez you.

[bgates]

he got a shovel to get out of a deep hole

And he's been assiduously digging since day 1.

[Jane]

Every one of the issues that he's inherited has been more difficult than he or anyone else expected.”

There's that word again.

Next time let's elect someone who actually knows what to expect - which after this president will consist of the worst thing imaginable about absolutely everyone.

BTW I wish someone would ask this president, what exactly he expected.

[jimmyk]

Sorry for the OT, but have people heard about this Omaha Board of Education embarrassment? They bought 8,000 copies of a "diversity manual," one for each teacher and administrator, that have such wisdom as:

The authors assert that American government and institutions create advantages that “channel wealth and power to white people,” that color-blindness will not end racism and that educators should “take action for social justice.”

...Only those educators who acknowledge the existence of white privilege in America, that “white” is a culture in America and that race “is a definer for social and economic status” can reach proficiency, the authors contend. Those who score poorly on the worksheet are asked in the book what they will do “to align yourself with the values expressed.”

What's almost as shocking as the content of the book is the lack of shame of the education bureaucrats. They seem to have no clue of how outrageous the book is.

[anduril]

Nobody wants to say it, so I will: problems are complicated in the Arab world because the Arab world is part of the MUSLIM world. I'll recommend it again: Robert Reilly's "The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis."

Excellent read by Steve Walt: Murder in Kandahar: What does the killing of Ahmed Wali Karzai mean? Much of what he says applies universally, and certainly applies to Bushie's excellent FP adventures that we're trying to come to terms with. Bushie does it by visiting the victims of his incompetence in military hospitals. That's fine--and maybe he should visit some of the millions of Iraqi refugees who still haven't returned home--but we need to get policy right to avoid this kind of BS in the future. Read Walt's conclusion:

Third, to me it merely underscores the continued futility of trying to win a counter-insurgency war in a country where we lack a competent, committed, or fully-legitimate local partner. We're likely to get a lot of upbeat reports of progress in the months to come, as the Obama administration tries to persuade us that the "surge" worked and that we can start going home. I hope this sleight of hand works, because the war is a running sore and a distraction from more important problems. But spin and PR won't change the basic reality: Afghanistan's fate will be determined by the Afghans and not by us.

Heck, our own political system can't even get a budget deal done without a lot of eleventh-hour hysterics, and yet we think we can reliably reshape the political order of a country of 32 million Muslims, many of them illiterate, and divided into at least five major tribes. Can you say "hubris?"

Hubris. Another name for "American exceptionalism." It's time we took our status as a republic seriously and got out of the empire building mode.

Oh, and btw, if we want to keep our problems from getting as complicated as problems in the Muslim world, don't let those problems immigrate. We have enough trouble with our Obamas and Bachmanns.

[narciso]

These are the reigning templates, in the academic milieu, jimmy, for them to imagine
otherwise, is like a fish speaking of the air/

[bgates]

The authors assert that American government and institutions create advantages that “channel wealth and power to white people,”

yet there are 8,000 copies of their book in Omaha as the result of the American government channeling wealth and power to China in the form of stimulus debt.

[narciso]

Irony 'it what's for dinner' isn't it bgates,

[Blue]

Our standing in the Arab world is influenced by two things - money and military might. Obama seems bent on pissing away both.

[Dave (in MA)]

He didn’t get a magic wand when he took office,” Zogby said. “Instead, he got a shovel to get out of a deep hole.

[Rob Crawford]

“channel wealth and power to white people,”

Didn't Obama fawn over a phrase something like "a world in need... white man's greed"?

[jimmyk]

That's right, bgates, I forgot to mention that the $130,000 for the books came from stimulus money. Thanks, Barry!

[Bill in AZ sez it's time for Zero to resign]

"BTW I wish someone would ask this president, what exactly he expected."

Unicorns and rainbows.

Every morning he runs to the window and looks out expecting unicorns and rainbows. Then he gets on his crackberry and txt's Soros:
"George, I ruined the economy, and you said there would be unicorns and rainbows... WTF??"

[MarkO]

Thta settles it. He's not up to the task.

He's just not that smart and he's a liar.

[Clarice]

Yes, Jimmyk, It is an outrage, a waste of stimulus funds and racist crap. how much do you wish to bet against me when I say I am certain the authors campaigned for Obama.

[Want vs Need]

Aaron David Miller, a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, said that the results reflect a fundamental “clash of interests” between the United States and countries in the region, calling the results “a very old story, which Zogby has simply brought up to date.”

“The fact is that there is a huge disconnect between what we believe is the right approach in the region and what many of the people who live there believe is the right approach,” Miller said.

Well, well. It seemed like the right thing to, unilaterally,
to free the Iraqi people. It was time to seed democracy in the middle east. But certain decision makers felt it was worth the gamble. Can we do it for them? What institutions (indigenous) are currently trustworthy to the culture? What Leaders within that society have the gravitas, the courage to lead?

Once you get a taste of freedom, you typically want more. The cascading notion of freedom, it was theorized, would be a contagion that would spread throughout the region.

But what is the Arab definition of democracy?

Human nature, being what it is, generally assumes, without some guidance, that one is free to do what one wants.

The Anbar Awakening was a sliver of hope, but it was not until Egypt exploded that there seemed a willingness on the part of the population, to risk all for the concept.

We have been cognizant for some time, that the religious dynamics, combined with the history of same, was the greatest challenge to 'democracy' in the ME.

When mubarak was gone, it was for some time, unreported (al aribya and jazeera) that roving crowds were systematically burning churches and killing Christians. Almost as much animosity exists between sunni and shia, but that violence and conflict has been easily retrieved from news sources.

So when Maguire speaks of Obama suddenly finding the situation, 'complicated', is he thereby forgetting his own dismissal of the challenges so described when his choice for POTUS was the true Adventurer in the ME?

I think Obama is well informed, but hampered by politics and economics, both local and global.

Why don't you cut him some slack; just this once?

[MarkO]

That settles it: he's not up to the job.

He's just not that smart and he's a liar.

[Jane]

Clemen's mistrial declared.

[anduril]

Mark Dayton: I blink.

[Sue]

Zogby is a pollster? Good grief, Obama should put him on the payroll, if he isn't already.

[Porchlight]

Every one of the issues that he's inherited has been more difficult than he or anyone else expected.”

"Inherited" is a crock. Inheritance is involuntary. But he campaigned for the privilege of taking over each and every one of those problems. He said he was the One to to fix them, that he was more capable to do so than Hillary or McCain.

And he's done nothing but make them worse, and create others that didn't exist previously.

It's all on him.

[Want vs Need]

Gee. A chance to Blame Obama redux, but the thread is dead. I am curious as to the reasons..maybe the timing.

[glasater]

A couple of weeks ago I was reading some articles by people saying things are so bad in ME a war there was probable by this coming September.

[Want vs Need]

glasater;

The tongue-in-cheek becomes you.....

[Frau Arzneimittel]

This thread is only sleeping.

[Chubby]

((Why don't you cut him some slack; just this once?))

the "cutting the president slack" mould was shattered during the Bush presidency, largely assisted by Obama

[RichatUF]

I think Obama is well informed, but hampered by politics and economics, both local and global.

LOL. It's hard out there for a President.

#PresObama tweeting doesnt feed Mil's of ppl?

[Captain Hate]

O/T Did Threadkiller ever post on how he beat the speeding cam?

[Jack is Back!]

CH,

Thought it was red light cam? But no, I didn't see and explanation.

Hey, how about that young 20 year old kid, Tom Lewis, sharing the lead at 5 under with Thomas "sandwedge" Bjorn at the Open Championship. And much to the chagrin of the Euro's lots of American's lining up to go low tomorrow and possibly do the bookies in and win it. Looking for the twofer Sunday - the Open and the World Cup.

[Captain Hate]

I think you're right on the red light cam but I wasn't sure and too lazy to check.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

BTW I wish someone would ask this president, what exactly he expected.

Like all moonbats, he had no respect for his Repub predecessors nor their intelligence. Libs have had the idea that a president need only wave his magic wand to get everything he wanted and that government is one big blank check just waiting for one of them to come in and take over the credit cards. I think he expected the job to be a piece of cake since that "dummy" BushHitler managed to do it. They live in a rose-colored fantasy world where all we needed to do was give peace, love and kumbaya a chance and those silly extremists would see what helpful victim-creators we are.

At least if we go in to fight them, they know we give them some respect. When the left talks about how they are nothing but victims, it feels good at first, but after awhile any person with self-respect does not want to deal with people who only see them as victims when they want to be seen as warriors for their cause. You cannot continually patronize a proud culture and expect them to love you for long.

[qrstuv]

Want vs Need thinks a democracy requires a suitable ruling class.