Humiliating

Ocean Guy finds a common theme in Arab writing about the capture of Saddam: Humiliation. Tom Friedman has also talked about this frequently, though I doubt the two would agree on appropriate policies on a lot of issues.

A concern for honor and humiliation is certainly not unique to the Arab world - it frequently seems to come up in American relations with China, for example. However, the looming question with the Arab world is why this concern for humiliation seems to have destructive results, like supporting Saddam Hussein (from afar) or endorsing terrorism against Israel. Zeyad tries to explain his feelings, which you'll have to read for yourself. Most Arabs living in other countries were probably just reacting to Saddam as a symbol against the U.S., not getting just how bad conditions in Iraq truly were. This may parallel Americans who cheer on dubious regimes against our chosen enemies.

That's the Iraqi case, however, and doesn't have that much bearing on the wider sense of humiliation on the Arab world. And here, I want to posit a theory: Humiliation is merely the concept in which a set of social and political issues is cast. Let's face it: Accounts of American searches of homes in Iraq describe things that could, in fact, be described as humiliating. Occupying a country could be seen as humiliating, as well, though Americans tend to cast such things in terms of freedom and empowerment. Even when I read an interview with Sanullah Ibrahim, the Egyptian writer who recently refused an Egyptian prize, I find a list of social ills that could easily be called "humiliating," though that is again not the way we would describe them.

I don't share Ocean Guy's pessimism - it really seems that Arabs and Americans have far more concerns that unite us than divide us. The major obstacles are not cultural, but political, as certain Arab governments foster extremism while blaming others for all their problems. At the same time, these governments suppress cultural and political development as a means of staying in power, a concern which also hinders economic modernization so as not to trod on the interests of those heavily invested in the current systems. And as is all too evident, the U.S. has been more than willing to support these regimes, leading to cynicism about our adherence to our professed ideals.

Anyway, these are just some thoughts. I'd be interested in hearing what others think.