In The Arab World: "Right Now The US Is The Kiss of Death"!

[leftchick]

I wonder if the neocons will notice this before the next wars in Iran and Syria.....


MIDEAST:
U.S. Watches Dreams of Transformation Dissolve
Analysis by Jim Lobe

WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (IPS) - Entering the fourth week of war between Lebanon's Hezbollah militia and Israel, the George W. Bush administration's ambitions to transform the Arab Middle East into a pro-Western, more democratic region are fading fast.

Not only is Washington's thus-far staunch support for Israel losing Arab ''hearts and minds'' at an astonishing pace, but the ''moderate'' governments and non-governmental forces which the administration had hoped would act as catalysts for reform are increasingly isolated across the region, according to Middle East specialists.

''I have never seen the United States being so demonised or savaged by Arab commentators, by Arab politicians,'' Hisham Melham, veteran Washington correspondent for Lebanon's An-Nahar newspaper, told a conference this week at the Brookings Institution, an influential think tank.

''People are clinging to Hezbollah, clinging to Hamas, because they see them as the remaining voices or forces in the Arab world that are resisting what they see as an ongoing hegemonic American-Israeli plan to control the region,'' he said.

''Right now, the United States is the kiss of death,'' Shibley Telhami, an expert on Arab public opinion at the University of Maryland, observed at the same meeting.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34228

[Cooley Hurd]

1. bin Laden doesn't even have to get out of bed anymore...

His job is being done for him. Thanks, you neocon asshats!:grr:

K&R!

[leftchick]

2. it makes you wonder

if this wasn't the plan all along. "Destabilizing the Middle East" and all.

:(

[marmar]

3. If you destabilize a region and occupy a couple of countries...

it makes it easier to go in and steal its resources - witness the years of European colonialization in Africa.

[Nikki Stone 1]

9. That's exactly right

Anybody think that England is really behind a lot of this?

[QuestionAll...]

8. it was. nt

[Starfury]

13. PNAC wanted a new cold war.... nt

[IndianaGreen]

5. I think Bush has exceeded Bin Laden's expectations

The blowback from the wars in Lebanon and Iraq will be very nasty and long lasting!

[Dover]

4. Bushco wrote off the Iranian reformists from the get-go

when Iran was included in the "Axis of Evil". They had no intention of building upon the reformist movement and waiting for change from within. So I'm sure they are indifferent to the growing resentment toward the U.S. by Iranian reformers.

They don't want reform, they want to prevent Iran from becoming the powerhouse of the Middle East due to their oil, pipelines to Asia, their bourse, their partnership with Russia, China, and other governments that are currently nationalizing their resources (like Venezuela), their geostrategic location, etc. And though, as a growing power they will require greater security, the U.S. will never allow them to have nuclear capacity....period.

[Cooley Hurd]

6. Kicking for exposure...

Bush's intention to transform the ME into a series of democracies has the opposite effect.

[leftchick]

11. you are very cool Cooley

It is sad to me more DUers don't read this.

[Cooley Hurd]

12. It's an important story and I thought the evening crowd should see it.

:thumbsup::hi:

[bvar22]

7. The ONLY thing bush* and the Republicans could point to...

...in the Middle East were the recent elections in Lebanon and the establishment of a fledgling Representative non-theocratic (secular)Democracy.*

NOW, bush* and the Republicans (with the help of a majority of Democrats) are FINANCING the destruction of this infant Democracy by the Israelis!

*The ENTIRE WORLD knows the elections in Iraq were a SHAM!

[Dover]

10. As were the elections in Palestine.

AND in the U.S.!

[JackNewtown]

14. They hate us for our freedom nt