Middle East Online (and Al Jazeera magazine subsequently) published an intriguing article by Rima Merhi, a Lebanese human rights activist and research fellow at the Middle East Institute working on Arab media outreach to American public opinion. Based on the readership of the two publications, it is safe to assume that Mehri is speaking to primarily an Arab audience. But in her article she offers the Arab, Israeli and American publics important advice about turning a new leaf in their relations upon the election of a new US President.
She leads off:
“Most Arab understanding of American foreign policy begins and ends with one statement: “Republican or Democrat, this election or past elections, what difference does it make? The Arab vote will end up in the garbage, and American foreign policy will always be “pro-Israeli”…
…American and Israeli ignorance of diverse Arab cultures, history, politics, allows them to deal with Arabs or “people of the Middle East” as one package and one that carries “terrorist” connotations if not an explicit “terrorist” label.”
Merhi turns the tables on her readers, and asks them to consider the consequences of lumping a diverse Jewish global community into one category:
“…Many Arabs do not even know the difference between a “Jew”, “Israeli”, and “Extremist”. Whereas Jews can hold any nationality, Israelis hold Israeli citizenship and include some Palestinians, and extremists may be Jews or Israelis and many times represent the voice of the Likud party in Israel as opposed to the more moderate Labor party….Arabs need to move beyond an agenda that highlights the failures of Israel as they perceive them, towards an agenda that promotes human rights, empowers Arab youth, and builds more democratic institutions. These goals ought to form the foundations of any Arab dialogue that will unify Arab countries in the region.”
Mehri notes that the US Presidential elections have been closely followed in Israel, but not in the Arab world. She explains:
“Many Arabs would be surprised to learn that a US presidential candidate with promising potential for winning the US elections is both non white and son of a Muslim who used to live in Indonesia: Barack Hussein Obama is perceived by many as the best candidate for leading change in foreign policy in the Middle East.”
Side note: Some Americans might agree that this is one of the few occasions in which it is advantageous to mention Senator Obama's middle name in a public forum.
Most importantly, Merhi gives sound advice to both her Arab readers and the voting American public:
“Arabs need to know that according to recent polls (Gallup), 80% of Americans want to see a change in American foreign policy. In general, Arabs fail to differentiate between the American people and the American administration…
..By the same token, if the Americans do not take the time to think beyond their borders and accept to elect officials who are not clear about a foreign policy agenda for the Middle East, they have themselves to partially blame for tragic events like September 11. The American public needs to pressure US presidential candidates to bring fresh ideas to the table.”
Her final message gives advice for all three publics:
“Arabs, Israelis, and Americans need to start listening and talking in a language that overcomes biases and stereotypes. The “Arab voice” and the “Jewish voice” represent two sides of the same coin, and one that must ultimately bridge social and economic divides and inequalities, protect human dignity and life, give hope to the youth, and build more stable democratic institutions in the Middle East. The US administration doesn't have to an honest or impartial broker, but it needs to be an effective intermediary between Arabs and Israelis.”
