Amazing that Zogby would say this with a straight face. Amazing that anyone would take him seriously. Amazing that Reuters would print this bit of propaganda as a news story.
Well, that last point is not so amazing, I suppose. But in any case, since when was popularity the index of success in foreign policy? Do you think America was very popular among the Germans or Japanese in 1942? The fact that America is unpopular today among Arabs doesn't -- or shouldn't -- tell us a thing about what we should or should not be doing. What we are doing should be guided solely by considerations of the national interest and how best to defend the U.S. against the global jihad.
What this poll does tell us, yet again, that sympathy for the global jihad is not restricted to a tiny minority of extremists. Zogby asks us to assume that dislike for the U.S. is solely to be attributed to a sober and even-handed evaluation of U.S. foreign policy by "the Arab street." He doesn't say anything about the venomous propaganda about America that appears regularly in the Arabic media. Go to MEMRI and MEMRITV and look around, and you'll see what I mean. And much of that hatred proceeds from America's character as a non-Muslim state, as the chief obstacle to the imposition of Sharia around the world. That attitude won't change one whit with any adjustment in American foreign policy.
By David Alexander for Reuters, with thanks to Teri:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new survey shows Arab attitudes toward American people, products and culture grew increasingly negative last year, a finding that underscores the need for a change in U.S. Mideast policy, a leading expert on the region said on Thursday.James Zogby, the head of the Arab American Institute, said the annual survey of opinion in five Arab countries found that U.S. policy toward
Iraq and the Palestinian conflict were the main issues driving deteriorating Arab opinion."Our policies have not only had a worsening impact in terms of attitudes toward us but also in dampening confidence in the prospects for development and political stability and are therefore, I think, a real concern to countries in the region," Zogby said.
In previous years, Americans themselves had been viewed positively in most Arab countries, his group said.
President George W. Bush is preparing a change of course for the Iraq war after a bipartisan panel said U.S. strategy was not working and warned that Washington was losing its influence in the region.
The panel, led by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton, also called for a renewed U.S. effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a way to defuse regional tensions.
"What the poll says to me is Baker-Hamilton are right," Zogby said.
"If America wants to salvage itself and improve its standing and get the credibility and legitimacy it needs to lead in Iraq, it needs to do something to earn the trust of allies in the broader region," he said.
This poll very likely was and Is designed to go hand-in-hand with the attempts that will be made by conyers, rangel, pelosi, kucinich et al, to pass legislation that will take us further down the road of eventual slavery.
And Yes, nariz. We know all about deals with the SA and 'reconstructionists' who are 'just as bad.'
This disturbs me no end. I won't be able to sleep knowing this. I want the US to launch a preemptive nuclear strike on Israel immediately so I can get a good night's sleep again. If that fails to win Arab favor then I want some sharia to replace the Constitution-anything so the Arabs will like us.
Thank you, Robert for you lucid comments.
and by the way from CAIR:
"Given the increase in the number of complaints CAIR has received alleging airport profiling of American Muslims, we believe it is important that all those taking part in this year's hajj be aware of their legal and civil rights," said Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR spokesman.
The group has established a toll-free hot line (800/784-7526) for victims of "flying while Muslim," as Muslims have begun departing for the weeklong hajj, a once-in-a-lifetime obligation to visit the holy city of Mecca, which this year begins Dec. 29. "
...........Can we set up an Infidel hotline for victims of "flying while in the presence of Muslims""?
"Our policies have not only had a worsening impact in terms of attitudes toward us but also in dampening confidence in the prospects for development and political stability and are therefore, I think, a real concern to countries in the region," Zogby said.
.........Hmmmm I have seen the results of Muslim policies and they too... have negative connotations. (usually involving violent death and terror upon ordinary people just trying to live)
"In previous years, Americans themselves had been viewed positively in most Arab countries, his group said".
What year was that exactly? For the most part the Arabs have been anti-US for as long as I can remember. Something to do with those awful Zionists, I believe.
I wonder how much money Zogby gets from those wonderful Saudi princes who have too much money on their hands.
Never did care too much for polls or posters. We all know that vested interests shape polls and thier results. I was polled by ABC once over the phone. There was absolutely no quality control. The polster could alter my responses to questions any way he wanted. There was no way for me to tell if he was writing down my opinions, or his own. Possibly there are polls a 'little' more scientific than that, but I dont have much faith in any of them. Any politician who makes decisions based on polls ought to be impeached.
As far as the Arab world not liking the US much...too bad. John Kerry is in Egypt right now encouraging the US to 'talk' to Syria and Iran. Once Nancy Pelosi and John get done 'talking' to ME Arabs, everything will just be peachy...
I am getting very tired of this endless criticism of the United States, which seems to be common even in your own country. (Why? Are there a lot of masochists among you?)
Every day we are told that America is the cause of everything that is bad, from too much rain to overweight people. And when some people start to believe what the media tell them, that is reported as news. Is that because the journalists know we should not really believe them?
However, I find it strange that if the Arab world dislikes the US so much, Arabs still want to live in the country. Aren't you expecting a new contingent of Iraqis?
Dixi
Yes, Dixi. Everyone wants to come. No one wants to leave.
I am getting very tired of this endless criticism of the United States, which seems to be common even in your own country. (Why? Are there a lot of masochists among you?)
Every day we are told that America is the cause of everything that is bad, from too much rain to overweight people. And when some people start to believe what the media tell them, that is reported as news. Is that because the journalists know we should not really believe them?
However, I find it strange that if the Arab world dislikes the US so much, Arabs still want to live in the country. Aren't you expecting a new contingent of Iraqis?
Dixi
Posted by: Dixi at December 15, 2006 09:02 AM
1)I guess in a nation of 300 million there's bound to be a lot of idiots,traitors and Islamaniac lapdogs running around.
2)If the US was as evil as portrayed, Islam would be gone, Israel would cover the entire Middle East and we would have free gasoline, among other things.
3)I'm as baffled as anyone on why people who like sharia so much leave places that have it and try to impose it here- wouldn't it be easier and cheaper just to stay put?
The Zogbys are either self-hating Lebanese Maronites, or have Stockholm Syndrome, or have been Dhimmified. Take your pick. Why they carry water for Muslims is beyond me.
Those who took part in the survey should take a good look in the mirror first and formost why the non-Muslim side also distrusts them.
Has the "Arab Street" EVER had a positive opinion of the US?
Considering what it would take for the Arabs to like us, I wear their "negative" opinions of us as a badge of honor.
Here's an interesting piece on James Zogby.
http://www.meforum.org/article/429
Make no mistake. Zogby is a full-fledged enemy of America. He is no more Christian than a dog is. He is with the Islamic invaders and his goal, like theirs, is to destroy the United States government and replace it with an Islamic dictatorship. Personally (and I sincerely hope this Arab maggot is reading this), I don't give a damn about the Arab opinion of us. My opinion of them is a thousand times lower. I regard all of them as hated enemies to be mercilessly crushed out of existence. I HATE THEM like I never thought I could hate anyone else. Get out of my country, Zogby the pig, and take your Islamic poll with you along with your dead pedophile of a false prophet........
Polls, statements and Reuters stories like this are good contra-indicators, to borrow a stock-picking concept. Buy low - sell high.
Zogby should remember what my mom told me in grade school when some snobby obnoxious kids didn't like me and wouldn't let me play with them.
"Nebbishes like these don't like you? Its an honor and a privilege."
Zogby demonstrates the truth behind Twain's adage about lies, damned lies and statistics.
Despite the "Arab street's" typical decrying of the US, its imperialism and its materialism, most of the people Zogby polled would also say that they would love to live in the infinitely less corrupt, less oppressive, less Islamic US.
Zodby is an Arab, a Democrat, need we say more? he is in the pockets of Soros money. if the Arab have less looove for the US, maybe they could stay over is cesspoolstan instead of trying to weasel their way in the US and other Western countries. if l were the government l would outlaw polls, they are decieving, and pollsters can ask questions in the way they know the answers will fullfil their agenda.
Oh boy, the hand-wringers are going to have control of the government now. Their first goal is to make the whole wide world love us!
/soft,squishy kissy noises
I could just puke
I do agree with Mr. Zoby on one statement:
[...]called for a renewed U.S. effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a way to defuse regional tensions.
"What the poll says to me is Baker-Hamilton are right," Zogby said.
"If America wants to salvage itself and improve its standing and get the credibility and legitimacy it needs to lead in Iraq, it needs to do something to earn the trust of allies in the broader region," he said.
Agreed. We do need to do something to shore up the trust the Israelis have placed in us. They are the only allies we have in the region. I would suggest we resolve the Palestinian issue by bulldozing Gaza Strip. It should resemble a strip mine at the end of our resolution. Also: how about going after Syria & Iran in the battleground of politics, apologetics and polemics? Maybe some military options too, when we get them riled up enough that they go impulsive and do something in response.
If America wants to salvage itself and improve its standing and get the credibility and legitimacy it needs to lead in Iraq, it needs to do something to earn the trust of allies in the broader region.
Ugh.
Americans seem to have this need to be liked by everyone and in the real world that it just doesn't happen as someone once said no matter what you do there is always going to be someone who does not like you, and the Arab world does not like us big deal the only thing we need it or is the oil under their countries and apparently if we could get past our own homegrown Californian environmentalists and start drilling on our continental shelves apparently they think there could be oil reserves to rival the Middle East.
"If America wants to salvage itself and improve its standing and get the credibility and legitimacy it needs to lead in Iraq, it needs to do something to earn the trust of allies in the broader region," he said.
Haven't we been leading in Iraq since 2003?
I forgot. We've been occupying Iraq!
Just what is this guy saying, anyway? Are we sure he wasn't saying the US needs to LEAVE Iraq?
Earn the trust of allies?
Why would they be our allies if they didn't trust us? Why shouldn't they have to work ten times harder to regain OUR trust? Their word means nothing after 9/11.
If America wants to salvage itself it will get the UN out of the US and get the US out of the UN. It will then read Iran (figuratively) the riot act and do the same to the Saudis.
But not so negative that Arabs will not want to immigrate to the U.S. Zogby has lost his stock in trade,credibility,by trying to defend the indefensible.
So arabs don't like America? Great. That reminds me of a Churchill quote:
“You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.” — Winston Churchill
Better make that bold lest anyone will miss it
“You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.” — Winston Churchill
James Zogby is a rank anti-American bigot.
He recieves blood money from the Saudis at the so-called Arab American Institute, an institute which cynically portrays the staggering tolerance Americans have shown towards the Arab community in America only in the darkest and most nefarious terms.
Rather than the slightest sign of honest perspective, James Zogby chooses to depict this nation is an intolerant state where hatred based Arab discrimination is the norm. Strange words and bitter recriminations coming from a multi-millionaire Arab American spokesman for the largest concentration of Arabs outside the Middel East! Arabs have flourished in America, but you'd never know that from the bigot brothers James and John Zogby.
In an irony of the ages, our tolerance and generosity towards the Arab tribes in American has systematically been rewarded with accusations that America is the most intolerant and intolerable nation of discrimination and hatred. Now it becomes increasingly clear these Arabs are simply describing their own Arab community, whether in America or in their original crooked Arab sewers. And what a splendid reward for America, who allowed millions of them to flee their various Arab nightmares, nightmares of their own creation, I must add.
There is no end to their claims of victimhood at our hands, nor is there surcease in their demands for special treatment of Arabs residing here.
Zogby is also an inveterate anti-Semite, and receives additional Saudi blood money from his role at the Saudi American Forum.
He and his brother nefariously and eagerly retail the lie that the so-called Arab Israeli 'conflict' is at the core of all discontent in the broken Arab world. I have never witnessed them criticise or condemn the genuinely heinous treatment which the Arab world regularly metes out to everyone everywhere. On that topic Arabs of all stripes remain peculiarly mum.
Expose this wicked liar and bigot for who and what he is:
James Zogby is a willing stooge of fascist Arab propaganda and anti-American lies.
The United States remains resolute -- even if confused about what to be resolute about -- in thinking it must do something about Muslim behavior. The government has until now allowed itself to focus on only one instrument of the world-wide Jihad, that of terror (hence the stupid phrase "war on terror"), but has not paid much attention to the other, much more effective instruments of Jihad: deployment of the money weapon (only noted insofar as this or that bank account or bank can be linked to the financing of "terror"); systematic, well-financed and carefully-targetted campaigns of Da'wa; and as-yet unconstrained and steady demographic conquest throughout much of Western Europe. But the fact that it shows signs of not only being resolute but even of beginning to comprehend the nature and full menace of the threat, makes the United States a threat to the Arabs, and to Muslim ambitions everywhere.
Arabs could never conceivably offer real friendship to Infidels. They can only offer degrees of hostility, and of respect, based entirely on fear of what might happen if they do not cooperate. We cannot win Arab hearts and minds. The temporary cooperation of this or that Arab regime, either threatened or otherwise made aware that it is to the advantage of its principals to play ball, is attainable, and should, always by reading the riot act, never by appeasement, be whenever it would be to our advantage attained. Without, however, giving an inch. There is -- write this a thousand times on the blackboard of your mind, then erase to arrive at that famous tabula rasa, and write the phrase again -- "no oil weapon." There is the use of money to buy armies of apoligists (ex-diplomats, journalists, businessmen with contracts dangled before them, the inhabitants of well-upholstered academic chairs and "centers of Muslim or Arab Thisandthat"), and there are all kinds of ways to use up that money (beginning with publicly embarrassing the Saudis and others to share their unearned wealth with all the Arab and Muslim states and quasi-polities -- Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, the "Palestinians" -- currently receiving tens of billions in the disguised Jizyah of Infidel, chiefly American, foreign aid.
Of course they "don't like us." And the more they don't like us, the more clear it will be that we must be doing something right, or at least our hearts if not yet our minds, are in the right place.
These guys never disappoint, the logic they display is moronic. Americans opinions of MEer’s are falling through the floor, largely due to Iraq and the horrific events that occur everyday there. We see the MEer’s as people who don’t really care enough to change things or are quite content with the never ending carnage. Yet, here he is talking about the opinions of Arabs towards Americans; does he not understand that we understand? Hello john… everywhere the jihadists go, trouble follows don’t you know.
We see the MEer’s as people who don’t really care enough to change things or are quite content with the never ending carnage.
Well, they have had 1400 years or so to accomplish something.
lets see: so far Islam has
denuded the forests of the land
filled mass graves
destroyed most farms
failed to generate any worthwhile business endeavors,
failed to provide for life, liberty , and the pursuit of happiness of its inhabitants,
failed im improve the lives of its populations,
failed to raise education levels of its children
failed to reach ameniable border relationships with other governments,
failed to contribute any worthwhile inventions to make improvements to the health and welfare of its inhabitants,
failed to slow down the incidents of violence on simple peoples of the world just trying to live.
failed to generate anything that would contribute to solving diseases such as aids,cancers or heart diseases
on the other hand they have learned to exploit oil, guns and bombs and weak minded or dimwitted people.
lets not allow such incompetence to continue
If the whole world be against me, then that's fine. It means that I'm on the right track.
Aw! The Arabs don't think well of the US.
SO?
I wonder if they have any incling of how the US and the West TRULY feels about them?
Greedy selfish Buggers. It was OIL , discovered by Westerners that made it possible fore their Elite to live in such luxury and decadence while they let most of their people live in destitution.
Do they take care of their own? , NO.
Do they come close to the US in AID ? , NO.
Did they donate money to the Tsunami Victims?, NO .( They thought it was God's Punishment for Mans sins, Silly Islamists)
they would rather spend money on themselves , rather than help their fellow man
http://www.masada2000.org/HomeSweetHome.html
Should we send them a Message that we really don't care what these Barbarous , Inhumane Primitives think??
Yes.
Who cares what they think. they are so morally and spiritually corrupt that pleasing them should not really matter.
The truth hurts.
seriously look at this:
http://www.masada2000.org/HomeSweetHome.html
We have nothing on them as far as decadence goes.
they are TRULY morally corrupt.
always have been
“God's Punishment for Mans sins” : Concerned Canadian
“lets see: so far Islam has
denuded the forests of the land
filled mass graves
destroyed most farms
failed to generate any worthwhile business endeavors,
failed to provide for life, liberty , and the pursuit of happiness of its inhabitants,
failed improve the lives of its populations,
failed to raise education levels of its children
failed to reach ameniable border relationships with other governments,
failed to contribute any worthwhile inventions to make improvements to the health and welfare of its inhabitants,
failed to slow down the incidents of violence on simple peoples of the world just trying to live.
failed to generate anything that would contribute to solving diseases such as aids, cancers or heart diseases” : exsgtbrown
Looks to me like they have some splainin to do.
Agreed. ^^
The common thread in your post, which i agree Wholheartedly with is " FAILED "
Islam has FAILED!
Nobody summed up the Arabs better than Robert Kilroy-Silk, and he was branded as a bigot, mainly by crackpot lefties, for telling the unvarnished truth in an article from 2004 as follows:
We are told by some of the more hysterical critics of the “war on terror” that "it is destroying the Arab world". So? Should we be worried about that? Shouldn't the destruction of the despotic, barbarous and corrupt Arab states and their replacement by democratic governments be a war aim? After all, the Arab countries are not exactly shining examples of civilisation, are they? Few of them make much contribution to the welfare of the rest of the world. Indeed, apart from oil - which was discovered, is produced and is paid for by the West - what do they contribute? Can you think of anything? Anything really useful? Anything really valuable? Something we really need, could not do without? No, nor can I. Indeed, the Arab countries put together export less than Finland.
We're told that the Arabs loathe us. Really? For liberating the Iraqis? For subsidising the lifestyles of people in Egypt and Jordan, to name but two, for giving them vast amounts of aid? For providing them with science, medicine, technology and all the other benefits of the West? They should go down on their knees and thank God for the munificence of the United States. What do they think we feel about them? That we adore them for the way they murdered more than 3,000 civilians on September 11 and then danced in the hot, dusty streets to celebrate the murders?
That we admire them for the cold-blooded killings in Mombasa, Yemen and elsewhere? That we admire them for being suicide bombers, limb amputators, women repressors? I don't think the Arab states should start a debate about what is really loathsome. But why, in any case, should we be concerned that they feel angry and loathe us? The Arab world has not exactly earned our respect, has it? Iran is a vile, terrorist-supporting regime - part of the axis of evil. So is the Saddam Hussein-supporting Syria. So is Libya. Indeed, most of them chant support for Saddam.
That is to say they support an evil dictator who has gassed hundreds of thousands of their fellow Arabs and tortured and murdered thousands more. How can they do this and expect our respect?
Why do they imagine that only they can feel anger, call people loathsome? It is the equivalent of all the European nations coming out in support of Hitler the moment he was attacked by the US, because he was European, despite the fact that he was attempting to exterminate the Jews - and Arabs.
Moreover, the people who claim we are loathsome are currently threatening our civilian populations with chemical and biological weapons. They are promising to let suicide bombers loose in Western and American cities. They are trying to terrorise us, disrupt our lives.
And then they expect us to be careful of their sensibilities? We have thousands of asylum seekers from Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries living happily in this country on social security. This shows what their own people think of the Arab regimes, doesn't it? There is not one single British asylum seeker in any Arab country. That says it all about which country deserves the epithet loathsome.
"But in any case, since when was popularity the index of success in foreign policy? Do you think America was very popular among the Germans or Japanese in 1942?"
These frustrated rhetorical questions ignore one of the central givens of the PC Multiculturalist Template which is mainstream and dominant throughout the West:
The enemy is a small minority of extremists who happen to be Muslims, detachable from a vast majority of harmless moderate Muslims who are not the enemy, and also detachable from the harmless and moderate mainstream Islam that is the culture and belief-system of the vast majority of Muslims.
Thus, naturally, this concern about popularity refers to that supposed vast majority of Muslims (and Arabs), not the extremist minority.
Why doesn't anyone ever take polls asking Americans what they think of the Middle East, Europe, the rest of the world?
I'm sick and tired of hearing the results of poll after poll reporting that 88% of Europeans think America is the biggest threat to world peace; American foreign policy and Israel created islamic terrorism; 99% of the arab/muslim world is seething with rage because America exists; public support for George Bush is at an all time low.
I don't care what the muslim world thinks of America because nothing I do or say will change their feelings or America's foreign policy. Anyway, I am truly thankful that I wasn't born in a stagnated, archaic, islamic cesspool surrounded by uncivilized, tribal barbarians. I will never understand why it was necessary to import these evil islamic creatures to America and the West. That was the single most malignant, odious blunder ever made by Western elites. They arbitrarily poisoned our world. How sick is that?
Hey Zogby, here's what you should be worrying about, what the American Street thinks: American attitudes toward Arab countries grow more negative: poll
Zogby was also show to be pro-islamist by a few past comments he made about us here in the US (often made OUTside the US in classy "ditzy $hlts" fashion- a term of endearment for that bimbo blonde trio led by natalie "mange" maines), as well as equally bogus poll "predictions" the past 5 years that never happened either.
Just another pot calling the kettle black, not that it matters an iota here.
What he doesn't show is the overriding point to any poll of that kind...
...Americans don't give a r(oden)ts a(backside)s what the islamists think, let alone what mister "jihadi al-zogby" thinks. All he does now is feed the same appetites of anti-American hysteria of the very same loons who already have their minds made up anyway...so this is not only not news, it's filed in the "waste of space" department...nobody here cares, or needs to.
Concerned Canadian -- that's a fascinating link to the lifestyles of the rich and heinous.
Several years ago I travelled to Bali in Indonesia on vacation. There is still a strong tradition of craft culture among the Hindu community there, and entire villages are employed in artisan manufacture, producing such things as stone carvings and statuary, and intricate wood carvings and sculpture.
I encountered one such village completely dedicated to the production of hand carved stone mouldings executed in imported marble. I was fascinated with their techniques, and amazed to find at the end of the 20th century an entire village of traditional hand craftsmen -- and especially amazed at the quality of their work.
I attended one particular factory where dozens upon dozens of men spent their day producing an identical pattern of mouldings in marble, and couldn't help but notice the staggering amount of identical pattern they were producing by hand. There was a warehouse FILLED with their handiwork -- virtually truckloads of the exact same pattern of 1-2 foot length hand carved marble moulding -- about 6 inches high, one inch in thickness, and the exact same contour on the face, made of the exact same kind of premium quality marble, and I couldn't help but wonder at its prospect.
At first I imagined that this must be an effort to supply some major US home building firm with a standardized hand produced moulding -- the kind you might use in a bathroom project or stone entryway as a floor or ceiling runner, for there had to be MILES of the stuff in the warehouse.
Initially the owner of the factory didn't want to say much about the mouldings or their nature -- or where they were destined -- but after some short time he began to tell me their story. He revealed that the work in this huge warehouse represented a SINGLE commission for a SINGLE dwelling for an Arab "Prince" in the UAE. He told me that this 'gentleman' was building a giant stone palace, and that he had placed the order which consisted of 30 kilometers of the exact same kind of stone runner for the shack.
That's right -- 30 kilometers of hand carved stone runners for some Arab sheik's palace. He then told me this was the second home the guy had built -- the first, for which he had also supplied a mere 10 kilometers of hand carved moulding had proven 'inadeqate', and so this 'second house' was then in the works.