Worldpublicopinion.com says, "As you may expect, the news is certainly not all good. There is a tremendous amount of mutual suspicion. The US is viewed negatively in virtually all Muslim countries. In a multi-country poll we just did for the BBC, we found that in all Muslim countries polled, majorities said that the US is having a mostly negative influence in the world and that the US military presence in the Middle East provokes more conflict than it prevents." As you can see there is tremendous misunderstanding and ill feeling of America due to the wars America has fought in the middle east.
"In some polls, views of the American people are not quite as negative as views of the United States or its government," as you can see Middle Eastern do not have malice toward Americans but rather they do resent some of the policies the US has towards the US.
"Many Muslims see the U.S. supporting democracy in their countries, and many of those who are optimists about the prospects for democracy in the Middle East give at least some credit to U.S. policies." There are some people who see that America has does some postive things around the world such as pushing for democracy. Nevertheless with two debacle wars there seems that there isn;t much optimism in America.
Source:http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/views_on_countriesregions_bt/330.php
Source: http://pewglobal.org/2005/06/23/us-image-up-slightly-but-still-negative/
The policies America has towards the Middle East greatly affect its' own domestic policy and the international environment. This blog will provide impartial facts for you to analyze in order to judge American policy towards the Middle East.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
What is the view most Americans have towards the Middle East?
"When Americans are asked about Muslim countries as a whole, their views are fairly neutral. But when asked about some specific countries, such as Iran or Saudi Arabia, majorities of Americans have unfavorable views."Thus Americans do not seem to have a general view of the many Middle Eastern countries. The view they have towards the middle east is usually developed by the media and politicians. For example, the media portrayed Iraq has possessing weapons of mass destruction which may caused paranoia of Iraq. "In closing, by pointing to these many convergences in American and Muslim thinking, I don’t mean to downplay the difficulty of the present conflicts. These are indeed difficult." The worldpublicopinion.com says indeed there are many similarities in thinking between the Americans and the Middle Eastern. Both people want change and stability in the world.
Source:http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/views_on_countriesregions_bt/330.php
Source:http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/views_on_countriesregions_bt/330.php
Thursday, December 2, 2010
How does American Policy towards the Middle East affect the entire World?

The Middle East is a strategic location where three continents meet. Not only that, but the Middle East is the worlds’ largest exporter of oil which is vital to the world economy. Thus nations around the world are greatly affected by the situations concerning the Middle East. For example, whenever, there is a crisis in the Middle East that hurts oil transportation then the oil price throughout the world increases. This case can be seen during the Persian Gulf War where due to the war, oil price throughout the world skyrocketed. Also one can see that the Islamists heinous acts around the world are influenced by the situations in their countries. Moreover, the Middle East has significant cultural importance to people, where Christianity, Judaism, and Islam originated. Middle East is a location that holds economic, political, and cultural significance to the world.
Monday, November 22, 2010
In what area of the Middle East is most controversy surrounded with American policy?

There has always been controversy surrounding American policy towards the Middle East. Some of the controversy surrounding America in the Middle East are its’ support of Israel, the Iraq War, and War on Afghanistan. American support of Israel is seen to be the destabilizing factor in the Middle East which can be seem as the cause of the recent wars.
Israel is America’s top ally in the Middle East. Many of its’ military weaponry is provided by the US. Prof. Jensen is quoted from Baltimorechronicle.com: "United States puts up with defiance from Israel that it wouldn't tolerate from other client states, but we should remember that U.S. policymakers don't make decisions based on humanitarian grounds. They want to extend and deepen, or at least maintain U.S. power, and those policymakers believe Israel is useful in that regard."
Some of the biased policy America has in dealing with the Middle East is allowing Israel to acquire nuclear weaponry while being a harsh critic of similar development in other Middle Eastern countries. I believe this biased American policy has lead to the Islamist Movement, which sees Israel as undermining the rights of Palestinians.The entire instability currently in the Middle East, comes form nuclear proliferation and radical islamisism which ultimately derives from the resentment of the Israel-US relationship.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Special Edition: Aung San Su Ki is Free !!!!!

Aung San Su Ki who has been a driving force of democracy in the 21st century has been released from house arrest after 15 years. She was put into house arrest by the autocratic military junta of Myanmar who saw her as a threat to the regime. Her words from BBC.com after her release were "There is a time to be quiet and a time to talk," she added. "People must work in unison. Only then can we achieve our goal." As you can see, Myanmar and the rest of the world must work in unison to bring about the changes required to benefit society at large.
Aung San Suu Kyi Timeline
* Born 1945, daughter of Burma's independence hero, General Aung San, assassinated in 1947
* 1960: Leaves Burma and is later educated at Oxford University
* 1988: Returns to care for sick mother and is caught up in revolt against then-dictator Ne Win
* 1989: Put under house arrest as Burma junta declares martial law
* 1990: NLD wins election; military disregards result
* 1991: Wins Nobel Peace Prize
* 1995: Released from house arrest, but movements restricted
* 2000: Near continuous period of house arrest begins
* Sept 2007: First public appearance since 2003, greeting protesting Buddhist monks
* November 2010: NLD boycotts first election in 20 years and is disbanded; House arrest ends
Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11749661
Monday, October 18, 2010
How has America been involved in the Middle East?

America like other superpowers have tried to influence and gain power in different regions and countries. America since it's caution involvement in world war 1 has been tremendously influential in shaping the world. The particular region where America seems to be greatly involved in the 21st century is the Middle East. There are several reasons ways America has been involved in Middle Eastern affairs.
Global Connections says "American economic interests -- particularly in assuring access to Middle Eastern oil -- have long motivated presidents and lawmakers to intervene in the region."
Some American involvement in the Middle East are:
1) Involvement in the battle against Islamic radicals across the Middle East
2) Participating in 3 wars over the last couple of decades
Gulf War:Deals with Saddam Hussein threatening oil supply in Kuwait, after invading Kuwait.
Afghanistan War:War against Islamic radical across Afghanistan
Iraq War:Threat of Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction.
3) Playing a major roles in internal wars that occurred in the Middle East such as the Iran-Iraq War. Providing military and monetary support to Middle Eastern nations.
4) Strong economic relationship with oil rich countries such as Saudi Arabia.
Source:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/uspolicy/index.html
What are some of the problems that are occuring in the Middle East at this time?

Middle East for centuries has been plagued by violence and upheaval. This region continuously has been the crossroad of different societies and empires. It connects three continents Africa, Asia, Europe. As you can see, the Middle East is an highly prized area due to is strategic location.
"Given the vast energy resources that form the backbone of western economies, influence and involvement in the Middle East has been of paramount importance for the former and current imperial and super powers, including France, Britain, USA and the former Soviet Union." The constant battle to control these areas has lead to both internal and external tensions in these areas.
Some of the tensions or problems that are still plaguing the Middle East are:
1) The Arab-Israeli Conflict
2) Radical Islamic Insurgency
3) Afghanistan War
4) Iraq War
5) Nuclear Proliferation
Source:http://www.globalissues.org/issue/103/middle-east
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