The Foreign Service Journal, June 2005

we are startled, in our ahistoric way, when disapproval of our policies rises around the world and we are not beloved. Yet that is precisely where we are today. Gen. Wayne Downing, who once ran the White House counterterror- ism office, has said that Osama bin Laden has been able to “convince the Islamic world that the U.S. is the com- mon enemy,” while “we have done lit- tle or nothing. That is the big failure.” This is classic myopia. There is no awareness in such a statement that our policies and actions in the region may have contributed to making bin Laden’s message attractive to less extremist Muslims. Nor does it take into account the very real possibility that many Muslims hate our policies, not our culture and values. To paraphrase James Carville, “It’s the policy, stupid” should be the mantra of every national security poli- cy-maker, rather than delusions that we are a target because our opponents “hate our freedom” or resent our exports of Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Microsoft. From the perspective of many in the region, American poli- cy toward the Middle East is driven by our desire to ensure an endless supply of cheap oil and to support the Sharon government in its dispute with the Palestinians. It is to accom- plish those goals, they contend, that Washington backs authoritarian mona rchies, stations troops in the region and detains (and mistrea t s ) Muslims for years at a time. Even our support for democracy is some- times seen as hypocritical, given our tendency to downplay it when other i n t e rests, such as fighting terrorists, a re at stake. No matter how strongly we defend our policies, they just are not selling in the region. And even the most skillful public diplomacy will not change that. This point of self-awareness is critical. When we support autocratic govern- ments, regardless of our motives, we a re not going to become beloved. When we lash out at other govern- ments for not supporting us at all times, we may feel good, but the risks to our security have increased at the same time. And when we invade and occupy a country that has not attacked us, it calls into serious question our commitment to self-determination. Persisting on our current path will only build popular support for groups like al-Qaida, leaving us insecure for a very long time, indeed. Conversely, o ffering a hopeful vision through will- ingness to tackle the agenda of under- lying global security threats would go a long way toward dealing with the root causes of the near-term threats of terror and nuclear proliferation in an integrated and effective way. Of course, this will require us to listen to others and to show some humility and awareness of our own history and its impact on the rest of the world. Showing, in Thomas Jefferson’s words, “a decent respect to the opin- ions of mankind” will not rob us of our confidence and security. In fact, the reverse is the case: until we learn from history, and are able to see our- selves as others see us, our engage- ment and our leadership are doomed to failure. ■ J U N E 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 65 Persisting on our current path will only build popular support for groups like al-Qaida, leaving us insecure for a very long time, indeed.