When Will the Arabs Understand America?!

At the university, we teach our students that we are unable to understand foreign policy of any country if we do not comprehend its geopolitical position, capabilities and neighbors, since these are influential factors in forming the paths and borders of the foreign policy. There is yet another factor that nobody pays attention to. It is the role and influence of internal pressures and internal factors, of formal and informal organizations in the systems of democracy. Within these communities, particularly in the United States, the system faces pressures of legislative assemblies and civil society, private media, opposition, reports and recommendations, conferences of education centers and pressure groups, or “lobbies” that have many goals and interests, especially if they were supporting an entity or a country like Israel or Ireland, Poland or Armenia. We see how these groups rise and press on the system that not only allows but encourages the lobbies in profiting and wandering around, especially in presidential or legislative campaigns, in an effort to influence on steering the foreign policy for interests of a country, or to get a certain attitude, sale or prohibition on selling weapons to a particular country or to its opponents. To the extent that, a few years ago, the Armenian lobby in America pressured Congress to issue a statement condemning massacres that the Ottoman Empire committed against Armenians a century ago!

But the most effective is the power, influence and dominance of the American-Israeli lobby — what is known as The American Israel Public Affairs Committee or “AIPAC.” They “pilgrimage” to the annual conferences in Washington where important politicians — the president himself and his delegates of foreign affairs and defense, the leaders of the opposition, important people who make significant decisions in America and in Israel, including the prime minister — speak about the wishes of Uncle Sam’s country to get closer to this effective lobby and get what they want. This lobby is the most powerful in making decisions in America, grabbing for whatever it can related to Washington’s policy toward the Middle East. It is a policy of constant opposition no matter what the personality, position or party of someone living in the White House. That is why there is no difference in Israel’s position and supremacy between the Bush and Obama administrations.

Until today, Arab leaders, politicians, analysts and researchers did not succeed in deciphering the talisman of this strong strategic relation. They did not even succeed in trying to learn or gain profit from what margins of freedom the American system provides to enter the American political arena and influence on its events and output, like Jews who did it well a century ago. In spite of America’s essential role in Arabs’ affairs and its impact on many countries and people, as well as its security and military presence and occupation of Arabic countries, interlaced with the interests in the region, we can count the specialists in America’s affairs and American education centers in Arabic countries on fingers of both hands. This is frustrating and incomprehensible! That is why America is still enigmatic for many Arabs. Or maybe only Arabs and others are unable to understand it, with the exception of Israel and its allies in the American political system.

Arabs do not understand and do not appreciate the nature of the structure of the American political system, the strength of the internal affairs or the lobbies’ influence and domination in the policy of American foreign affairs. One of the most important leaders of Congress said, “all politics and attitudes even within domestic affairs reflects domestic policy. All politics is local.”* This saying has become a motto and is repeated among common people, politicians, decision makers and American researchers.

The structure and nature of the American system of politics makes the lobbies powerful. One election isn’t over until another starts, especially within the Congress where members of the House are elected every two years and the senate every six years. Because of complexity, multiple net interests and the strong role of internal affairs, many lobbies have gained considerable influence, especially AIPAC, which is pro-Israel as explained earlier.

One of the paradoxes is that the American Congress became as an assembly more adhesive, supportive and welcoming, less hostile toward ministers of Israel and even Knesset. We saw it this year when Netanyahu delivered a speech in front of the joint session of Congress; he got a storm of applause and was interrupted by applause more than 30 times. That never happened in Israeli Knesset — not even Obama or others were rewarded with applause. When Obama became silent about building the settlements, he was insulted when Netanyahu spoke to him in front of the cameras about difficulty and rejecting the pre-1967 borders because Israel can’t defend them. Obama’s disappointment increased because he has one eye on domestic politics and the influence of the American Israeli lobby and its allies in Congress, the media and education centers, to strengthen his chances of winning re-election. Recent opinion research confirms the increasing anger and loss of confidence among American voters. He became unpopular among Arabs and frustrated Muslims, who lost hope because of America’s blundering and weakness, despite Obama’s many promises of a rising Palestine. In the meantime he is popular in Israel. What a paradox — his popularity in America increases because of his relations with Tel Aviv, not based on his concepts, opinions and esteem! It became openly said that Israel runs and controls the policies and attitudes of Washington in the Middle East, not vice versa!

It does not seem that America is able to listen to even its Arab allies, who have been warning and alerting them to the importance of balance in dealing with them regarding the Palestinian case in the region. The last of them was Prince Turki bin Faisal, in a rebuking article including alarm bells and clear messages “requesting America’s support in Palestine’s membership in the United Nations, otherwise risking the loss of its remaining, little credibility in the Arab world,” exposing her influence on corruption, the safety of Israel while the rest of the region faces danger, the strengthening of Iran and the possibility of war in the region. Therefore, Saudi Arabia will not be able to cooperate with America in the future like it has before. The “special relation” between Saudi Arabia and America is endangered in the center of the Arab Spring and requests by the Arabic and Islamic world for justice regarding Palestinians. It is a warning about “grievous consequences” of an American veto against Palestine’s membership in the United Nations.

There is no doubt that criticism, offering advice and the writing of opinion pieces by Arab American officials, researchers and academics is important, but it will change nothing in the painful reality! When will Arabs understand that American politics are controlled by the balance of domestic affairs and that Arabs will not have influence and weight as long as we stay outside of this complicated political balance! When will we understand this lesson?!

*Editor’s Note: This quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.