Dean's World

As much as I like and admire Amir Teheri, the writer of the linked column, I think he's intentinally avoiding a few things. There is enormous anger about the US (not Americans) on several hot-button issues. Outside of Iraq, it's hard to find Arabs anything near supportive of the US "occupation" of that country. Palestine enrages because of the videos and front-page pictures of dead Palestinians (Yes, there are no similar pictures of Israeli dead, but that doesn't change the fact.)

And while the USG may give a similar amount of aid ($1 billion/yr) to Egypt as to Israel, the money that goes to Egypt doesn't get acknowledged much, other than as "support of a corrupt regime." There is a blindness to what positive things the US does and a focus on what is perceived as negative. Even support for democratic reform gets a "why weren't you doing it earlier and everywhere?"

I do take Teheri's points: they're certainly valid. But they aren't the whole story, either. I think he was being intentionally provocative in an op-ed... now there's a new concept!

Very good. Quite true that most of the hatred for America that exists in the world today comes from traitors within our own country.