Watching America.com is running a plethora of articles on Bush’s visit to the Middle East. Among them two are of particular interest, especially when taken together.
It’s difficult to find a soul who isn’t skeptical about Bush’s Mid-East tour – both its purpose and the fact the tour is intended to improve on a mess whose perpetuation the visitor, Bush, is considered to be largely responsible for.
The contrast between the Iranian English-language Press TV output and Egypt’s Arabic Akhbar Elyom in expressing that skepticism is marked, and perhaps illustrative of that difference between Arab press coverage for consumption by the West (in English) and that which is by the Arab street for the Arab street. In the former, Arabs’ carefulness in not joining an American anti-Iranian initiative, and maintaining good dialogue with that country is offered as a practical approach to avoiding accidental war. The latter goes beyond this to suggest a slightly sinister intent:
The concern is that all of the talk about moving the peace process is just a smokescreen for the visit’s main objective, which is to mobilize countries of the area in the Gulf region against the ‘Iranian threat’ in preparation for setting policies or taking escalatory steps against Iran. The intent is also to ensure that the region does not recognize that the real danger, in fact, is Israel, which is only country in the region that possesses a nuclear arsenal and continues policies of occupation and aggression with absolute support from the American ally.
Read Middle East Peace Smokescreen for Hostilities with Iran and other articles on Bush’s visit to the Middle East on Watching America.com
Robin Koerner is a British-born citizen of the USA, who currently serves as Academic Dean of the John Locke Institute. He holds graduate degrees in both Physics and the Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge (U.K.). He is also the founder of WatchingAmerica.com, an organization of over 100 volunteers that translates and posts in English views about the USA from all over the world.
Robin may be best known for having coined the term “Blue Republican” to refer to liberals and independents who joined the GOP to support Ron Paul’s bid for the presidency in 2012 (and, in so doing, launching the largest coalition that existed for that candidate).
Robin’s current work as a trainer and a consultant, and his book If You Can Keep It , focus on overcoming distrust and bridging ideological division to improve politics and lives. His current project, Humilitarian, promotes humility and civility as a basis for improved political discourse and outcomes.