The American Presidency and Arab Defeatism

Every nation has a (historical) self-narrative, which informs its self-image. Such a self-image determines the perspective from which one nation views another.

This is why the translations at Watching America often say more about the authors writers and the homelands than about their actual subject, which is the United States.

In that context, of particular interest is this editorial translated from the Arabic newspaper Al Madina from Saudi Arabia, according to which,

… the American elections are a fantastical political film – not one produced by Hollywood, but rather by the American campaign with all of its contradictions and dissimulations. Because the candidates have no real knowledge of the world outside of America, they sometimes push the limit of foolishness…. The [American presidential] candidate – whoever he may be – is nothing more than a front man, a face for the election platform of one of the two major parties.

But this is not just an American-bashing piece. Rather, very much in line with Arabs’ narrative of historical defeat, turns blame inward:

As usual, the Arab-Islamic world just sits back and watches. We wait for the Presidential Film to wrap up and for the election decision to be made so that we can begin to bear the lesser of the two evils. On the contrary, the Jewish establishment is always successful. They successfully push election topics and direct the votes, as well as investing in and drafting the platforms themselves.

The writer suggests that the stupidity of the Arabs’ approach to the U.S. is evident given historical precedents concerning American action in the Middle East:

That capacity is penned up in the American administration’s international attitudes, which have always inclined towards colonial behaviors. The impression of its power and a sense of violent empire in the American popular memory exacerbate American dependency on an image of itself as a world dominator

Lest this seem polemic, the writer’s conclusion is considered:

… we have no right to reproach fate or the American people on their election of this or that candidate, for we do nothing. We wait to figure out their intentions and throw our lot in with whoever will be the least painful and do the least damage to our interests. And this, to no avail.

And this closing is surely interesting, since it could be said of all politically apathetic elements, even within our own nation. Perhaps people are not so different – even when we are.

Read the whole article here on WATCHING AMERICA.com