A surprisingly astute Washington Post editorial two month ago observed:
FOR DECADES, summit meetings of the Arab League have resounded with rhetoric about the alleged “double standards” of the West in enforcing U.N. resolutions or respecting international law. No communique of the group — including the one issued from its summit this week in Doha, Qatar — has been complete without a demand that conflicts be resolved “within the framework of international legitimacy.”
So it was interesting to see what else was in the latest statement issued by the kings, princes and authoritarian presidents of the Middle East and North Africa. First there was a call on “the international community to prosecute those responsible” for alleged “war crimes” committed by Israel in its recent offensive in Gaza. Then came an ardent defense of Sudanese dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir — who was welcomed to the Doha summit despite an outstanding arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on multiple war crimes charges.
“We stress our solidarity with Sudan and our rejection of the decision” of the ICC, said the communique, which Mr. Bashir welcomed in a bombastic address to the summit plenary. Leader after leader declared fealty. “We must also take a decisive stance of solidarity alongside fraternal Sudan and President Omar al-Bashir,” said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Mr. Abbas is hoping that the Obama administration will pressure Israel to stop building “illegal” settlements in the West Bank; the next time he utters the phrase “double standard” in the presence of a U.S. diplomat, we suggest a query about Mr. Bashir.
It seems that tyrants and terrorists are the toast the Arab world. So it really isn’t that surprising to learn that Arab world’s favorite ruler is Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
And when Arabs are asked to name the world leader they most admire, the new American president with “Hussein” for a middle name does not even figure on their list, according to a second poll. By contrast, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, a renowned anti-American iconoclast, sits atop that list.
Arabs “are listening, they are hopeful – [but] they are not in love,” says Shibley Telhami, a professor of Mideast affairs at the University of Maryland and principal investigator for one of the polls, the annual Arab Public Opinion Survey.
While Obama’s negatives are considerably lower among Arabs than Mr. Bush’s were, his positives are generally low. This sets the Arab world, roughly defined as the Middle East and norther Africa, decidedly apart from other regions of the world. Western Europe, for example, has enthusiastically embraced Obama.
There’s no word if Chavez’s persecution of Jews is a significant reason for his support in the Arab world, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is.
Why this survey is useful isn’t entirely clear. As opposed to surveys of open societies, where the results tell what the electorate is thinking, this survey shows what the populations are allowed to think and consequently what the regimes are thinking.
Of course many foreign policy experts find this survey useful because it confirms all their deeply held beliefs. Note the relish with which Marc Lynch writes gratuitously:
George Bush still did quite well in the “worst world leaders” category, though
But pay attention to the details that Lynch emphasizes: Iraq is the most important concern of the Arab world; President Obama offers hope of change (if he exerts enough pressure on Israel); Iran is not seen as much of a threat; Hamas is preferred to Fatah and Bashar Assad is the most popular Arab leader. With a few tweaks, these views are not all that different from much of America’s “realist” foreign policy establishment.
I find it odd that foreign policy experts who pride themselves on their sophistication hold roughly the same views of masses who largely accept the propaganda they’re fed by their governments. I’m not sure that these polls reflect much more than the priorities of the ruling classes in the Arab world.
These views ought to be challenged, not validated. Shibley Telhami and his accomplice James Zogby do all they can to validate the extremism of the Arab world and pass it off as the legitimate voice of the people. This is polling in service of tyranny.
Please read Meryl for related thoughts.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
