Amjad Atallah at the National Interest, on what Arabs think of the U.S.:
There are two dominant (and negative) stereotypes of the United States in the Middle East: we are either seen as an imperial force working with Israel to keep the region divided and undeveloped or we are a well meaning democracy and superpower that nevertheless is too weak to represent our own interests in the region when they conflict with Israel’s. Indeed, a recent poll of Arab public opinion by Shibley Telhami and Zogby International showed that while an amazing 86 percent support a two state solution, 61 percent of Arabs are “most disappointed” with Obama’s policies on Palestine/Israel in the past year.
In light of these attitudes, and after literally dragging the Palestinians into talks with an extreme right-wing government in Israel , the United States will be expected to either deliver Palestinian freedom or to support the Netanyahu government’s vision for a “state” with only symbolic sovereignty and little land. If the U.S. chooses the latter, as the most domestically painless course, it will cement the Arab public’s vision of the United States as a problem to be solved – not a source for stability – in the Middle East . Our failure will be a force multiplier for America ’s detractors at a time when we are still at risk in Iraq and Afghanistan , still competing with Iran , and still trying to eliminate al-Qaeda.
