Arab winds blowing against America By Youssef M. Ibrahim
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two cartoons this past week summed up Arab feelings about the re-election of President Bush. A cartoonist in the Saudi daily Asharq Al Awsat drew a split frame, one portraying Uncle Sam carrying a sign: "With US or against US," Bush's motto of the past three years. Its companion frame about the next four years has Uncle Sam diluting the choice to simply: "With us ... Or with us."
Gulf News, the United Arab Emirates daily, was far blunter in its cartoon Sunday. It had a map of the United States in human form draped with a Nazi uniform marching in goose step with Nazi boots and an arm stretched with a stiff Nazi salute. Across the map were the words "Bush II."
Tough, yet widely shared, views. From Algeria to Saudi Arabia and in vast Muslim countries such as Pakistan, scores of opinion pieces, as well as ample TV commentary, illustrated a deep sense of disappointment and apprehension about Bush's re-election. A senior Arab Cabinet official in a Persian Gulf country very friendly to the U.S. remarked that the latter cartoon "went too far." When prodded further, he went on to say that his "inner self" shares widespread visceral hatred of Bush and his policies, but his "official self" has little choice.
The divide between citizens and many Arab and Muslim leaders is shrinking. At some point, governments will have to choose between joining the anti-American voices in the street or perishing under their sway. As the antipathy builds, U.S. interests in the region will suffer.
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