A few months back I had a quick exchange with President Obama about the U.S. standing in the Arab World. When I mentioned that we would be conducting a poll to assess Arab attitudes two years after his Cairo speech, he responded that he expected that the ratings would be quite low and would remain low until the U.S. could help find a way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Well, the results are in, and the president was right. In our survey of over 4,000 Arabs from six countries (Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE), we found that favorable attitudes toward the U.S. had declined sharply since our last poll (which had been conducted in 2009 after Obama's first 100 days in office).
Back then, Arabs were hopeful that the new president would bring needed change to the U.S.-Arab relationship and the early steps taken by his administration only served to reinforce this view. As a result, favorable attitudes toward the U.S. climbed significantly from Bush-era lows. But as our respondents made clear in this year's survey, those expectations have not been met and U.S. favorable ratings, in most Arab countries, have now fallen to levels lower than they were in 2008, the last year of the Bush administration. In Morocco, for example, positive attitudes toward the United States went from 26% in 2008 to a high 55% in 2009. Today, they have fallen to 12%. The story was much the same in Egypt, where the U.S. rating went from 9% in 2008 to 30% in 2009 and has now plummeted to 5% in this year's survey.
A review of the poll's other results makes it clear that the continuing occupation of Palestinian lands is seen by most Arabs as both the main "obstacle to peace and stability in the Middle East" and "the most important issue for the U.S. to address in order to improve its ties with the Arab World." That Palestine trumps all of the other issues measured in the survey throws cold water on the wishful thinking of some analysts in the U.S. and Israel who want to imagine that, in the context of this "Arab Spring," Arabs now feel "that the Israeli-Palestinian issue is not as central to their lives as they were led to believe" (Bechor, Yedioth Ahronoth, July 14, 2011).
What our respondents tell us is the second highest ranking "obstacle to peace and stability" is "U.S. interference in the Arab World," which explains why the U.S. role in establishing a no-fly zone over Libya is neither viewed favorably in most countries, nor is it seen as improving Arab attitudes toward America. In fact when presented with several countries (e.g. Turkey, Iran, France, China, the U.S. etc.) and asked to evaluate whether or not each of them play a constructive role "in promoting peace and stability in the Arab World" eight in ten Arabs give a negative assessment to the U.S. role -- rating it significantly lower than France, Turkey, China, and, in four of six Arab countries, even lower than Iran!
All of this might have been expected, as it was by the president, but it is still sobering news that should send a strong signal to all Americans and should serve as a check on the reckless behavior of some lawmakers. For example, when Congress invites the prime minister of Israel to give an address that challenges and insults the president -- and then gives the foreign leader repeated standing ovations -- they are telling Arabs that America can't and won't play a constructive peace-making role. And when Congress continues to obstruct diplomacy and supports bills cutting much needed assistance programs to the Palestinians, Lebanon, and Egypt, they are sending Arabs the wrong message at the wrong time. And when neo-conservatives continue to argue for a more muscular Middle East foreign policy, urging the White House to use force or to make more demands on various Arab parties, they are blind to the realities of the region and are treading on dangerous ground.
To his credit, the president understands the dilemma America confronts across the Arab World. He began his term in office with the right intentions and sent signals he would move in the right direction. But, as I have noted, on Inauguration Day Barack Obama did not receive a magic wand. Instead, he was handed the shovel that George W. Bush had been using to dig deep holes all over the Middle East. Getting out of those holes has been harder than he imagined. In addition to confronting the worst domestic economic crisis in generations, the president had to face down two failed wars, an incorrigible and manipulative Israeli leader, a divided and dysfunctional Palestinian polity, and a wary but hopeful (maybe too hopeful) world that expected him to deliver on promised change. If that weren't enough, the president was confronted from Day One by a deeply partisan Washington, in which a unified Republican opposition behaved as if they wanted nothing more than to see him fail.
If anything, the results of this latest poll of Arab opinion demonstrates how precarious the position of the United States is in the Middle East and how important it has become for American policy makers to pay attention to what Arabs are saying to us. Some may play politics with critical Middle East issues and gloat at their success at having stymied the president's efforts to make peace and restore America's image in the region. But as the results of this survey make clear, their success has come at a price; one that is being paid by the entire country.
This article appeared originally on Foreign Policy's The Middle East Channel
Dr. James J. Zogby is the author of Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us, and Why it Matters (Palgrave Macmillan, October 2010) and the founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American-community.
Follow James Zogby on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AAIUSA
this is not accurate. more like the ratings would remain low until the US cuts all aid and support to Israel. As long as we concider Israel a friend and ally the Arab world will have a low opinion of the US.
The west should just let them do what ever they want to each other. Obviously with them, you're damned if you do and your damned if you don't.
The arab league begged the west to intervene in Libya, yet these arab states, which have airforces and militaries of their own, often supplied by the US, offered nothing towards the effort. They expect the west to fight their fights for them, and then they hedge their bets by criticizing western action on their behalf. Enough of this stupidity.
Frankly, I think this shows that the Arab world is "in trouble". USA is, in more than one way, a major world power. Its economy is more than 5 times bigger than the entire "Arab world" (all 22 countries put together). And that's taking into consideration the huge oil revenues that artificially inflate the latter. On a per capita basis, the average American produces more than 6 average Arabs.
USA is the world's largest aid contributor. Arab countries are among the world's biggest recepients of financial aid.
Politically, USA has a recognized tradition of democracy. The Arab countries are all failed dictatorships, ruled by opressive regimes with some of the world's worst records of human rights violations. These countries face an array of severe social, cultural and economic issues: huge unemployment among the youth, opression of women and minorities, religious extremism, inter-sectarian violence -- to mention just a few.
The Arab world is in trouble, not America.
Optimism currently is justified in the Middle East, unless one is a Middle East dictator.
It's a great distraction from the dictatorial regimes.
Even Obama's image in the eyes of the Muslim-Arabs will benefit from such an era, don't you think...??
When will we, who are ALWAYS expected to foot the bill, have input as to our policies regarding the Middle East.
I think we should wash our hands of the entire region.
They had yet to learn that one speech, no matter how easy to swallow, does not make an American Spring.
"when Congress invites the prime minister of Israel to give an address that challenges and insults the president"
that in itself, isn’t so bad. But allowing such idiot ideology to pass challenged, when it might so easily be reduced to dust by incisive debate. That is the slap to reason’s face.
"to argue for a more muscular Middle East foreign policy"
gives the lie, to claims of calm cogent contemplation of the circumstances.
"on Inauguration Day Barack Obama did not receive a magic wand."
Nevertheless. That does not excuse him from explaining the nature of the illusion,
to those prepared to open their eyes, minds, and ears. Provided of course, that he himself has seen through the trick.
"Getting out of those holes has been harder than he imagined."
Although, he could have taken George’s (Gitmo) shovel. Broken it in two. Put those two halves together, to make a whole. Then slipped though that, and been home free.
"a unified Republican opposition behaved as if they wanted nothing more than to see him fail."
What do you mean, as if Jim? As a republic masquerading as a democracy, that is their one and only game plan.
Israel has still not accepted this offer.. why? Greed, arrogance and the American blank cheque makes them believe they can not be wrong.
With Americas favourite despots on the way out , its only going to get worse for the US and Israel.
Reap as you sow.
2. The so called Arab Peace Plan doesn't even accept Israel's fact of existence, let alone its right to exist. This plan offer to recognize the fact that Israel exists if Israel accepts, without ifs, ands or buts this "plan", built into which is Israel's demise.
3. It is time to read the details and understand them instead of throwing hollow slogans.
To date no Muslim-Arab world, sadly, has been willing to accept Israel's RIGHT to be, to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people on ANY parcel of land between the River and the Sea.
There is no way that Israel can absorb the Palestinians and their decedents that left pre-1948 and remain a Jewish state. But since that is the stated goal of most of the Arab world and certainly the stated goal of Hamas, the 2002 peace proposal is a winner for the Arabs NOT Irael.
The 2002 Peace proposal that you discuss allows for the return of Palestinians to their homes prior to 1948. So in other words the 700,000 Palestinians that left and their decedents can return to a country of less than 6 Million Jews (Israel is already 20% Arab)...that seems like a quick way to democratically end the Jewish state.
I am curious if you just repeat the BS that you read on here or knowing tell lies?
from Israel on the West Bank, etc. would always be a concern,
as are similar situations around the world.......But this
one may be the start of WW3, so maybe it deserves
a bit more attention...